Role Reversal
by Jessie Blackwood
Summary: WARNING FOR CONTENT SLASH/SWEARING What if Captain Jack wasn't appointed leader of torchwood 3? Who might have been? Who is the Tea Boy now? A bit of AU fun, messing around with characters, there's no timeline, everybody is alive. Story now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here.**

**Warning: Explicit, MA for adult theme. Jack/Ianto Slash/swearing (eventually)  
**

**What if Jack wasn't the leader, what if there was someone else appointed to head Torchwood 3? Wonder how things would go….? AU, everybody still alive. No particular timeline.  
**

Captain Jack Harkness took the stairs down into the hub two at a time. He was late and he knew it, although he had a good reason. Shit shovelling, again. The rest of the team had returned hours ago, as always he had landed the messy job of getting rid of the bodies. He grimaced as he hit bottom, he was always shit shovelling, clearing everyone else's mess up after them, making sure they got everywhere on time and, oh yes, making the coffee. At least he was complemented for his coffee making skills. It was his own fault, he thought sourly. He didn't delegate very easily, didn't trust others to do a good enough job. Swinging round towards his workstation, its computer humming in readiness, he noticed that the others were nowhere to be seen. He cast his eyes up to the office above to see if the boss had noticed but there was no movement. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he had quit for the day…

"Jack? Where's my coffee?"

Damn, Jack swore beneath his breath. Did that guy miss anything?

"Coming Sir" he called, hurrying towards the small kitchen area. Precisely six minutes later he knocked on the door and went in, seeing the boss behind his desk, immaculate in suit and tie, scanning some paper work. The man popped the button on the stopwatch he held in one hand, glanced briefly at it and said with a grin "six minutes, you're getting faster…" and watched as Jack walked round to stand beside him, same place as always, and set the coffee mug down on the desk next to him, same place as always, and said "Will there be anything else, Sir?"

Ianto Jones' grin faded and he took a sip of his coffee before saying anything. He hadn't been Torchwood 3's boss for long but it felt like an eternity sometimes, but if anyone could understand eternity, then this man could. "Excellent, as always" he said with what he hoped was a warm smile, putting the mug down. He wished Jack would relax in his presence. The rest of the team did, but not Jack. Ianto had always put it down to the man's immortality. He appreciated how difficult it must be to live with seeing your friends grow old and die but he had no idea of what it must do to a man to go through that time and again. Nothing could kill him. He simply died and was resurrected time and again. It made him a valuable resource for Torchwood, but Ianto wondered why he had never been made leader. His personality was flawed, but then, so was everybody else's. No one who worked for Torchwood was ever perfect, some were even quite seriously damaged. They were often the ones who got promoted, for God's sake.

No, Ianto thought, it was because they feared him, those still in charge, the anonymous folk in Government and UNIT who kept an eye on those supposed to be above them all. Who watches the watchers, he thought glumly. They considered Jack Harkness (it wasn't even his real name, no one knew it) to be more of a threat than an asset, one they were happy to use until he outlived his usefulness or threatened their nice cosy world. The man was even friends with the enigmatic time travelling "Doctor", the original 'enemy number one' as far as Torchwood was concerned.

Ianto had always felt at a disadvantage in the matter of Jack Harkness. The man looked no older than his late 30s but he was well over a hundred years Ianto's senior if the files were to be believed. Ianto knew that he, himself, was young for a Torchwood operative never mind a leader, but he had graduated from Torchwood 1 with honours as far as the 'Management' were concerned, playing a part in the battle of Canary Wharf, although he had been almost the last one standing. He had been sent back to his native Wales as Torchwood 3's new boss after its previous leader, Suzie Costello, had died less than a year ago. Such losses were something you lived with in Torchwood. Ianto had lost people close to him, first his mother at a relatively young age, then his fiancée Lisa at Canary Wharf, although he rarely spoke about it. He recognised something in Jack, a sorrow, a shadow of something shared. But although he was drawn to the charismatic Captain, Ianto didn't allow himself to lower his guard. The man was an inveterate flirt, had a reputation for sleeping with anything he found attractive, human, alien, male, female, it didn't seem to bother him. The reports all said he that was charming and superficial with a forceful personality. Ianto had known that the people who had sent him into this job were worried that he would find Jack a handful to keep under control, that he wasn't a strong enough personality to hold back the loose cannon that was Captain Harkness. Maybe, a small voice had said, I won't want to hold him back. Maybe that's what makes him so useful.

The reports could not have prepared him for certain things however. In the flesh, Harkness was a _very_ attractive man. At 6 ft tall, he was a shade taller than Jones whose 5'11" frame was also appreciably lighter in build. Harkness was strong, broad through shoulders and chest, he was powerful to look at. He exuded charisma, his easy confidence rubbing off on everyone around him. He already had an easy camaraderie with the small team, they liked him, loved him even. Ianto Jones knew right then that the key to winning them was to win Jack over but all that little fact did was daunt him. How could he compare to the fearless Jack Harkness, what the hell could he ever do to gain this man's respect, his trust? He had no idea that Tosh had pulled his personnel reports, that they already knew about his actions and commendation for the part at Canary Wharf. Jones also knew he could never rival Jack's ease with his own body, his lack of self consciousness. There was an animalistic grace in the way he moved, a warrior's confidence, eyes so blue and intense they made Jones' heart miss a beat when he first saw them gazing into him. No, they did not gaze _at_ you, they gazed _into_ you, it was as if Harkness was looking into his soul. He had laughed later at the fanciful notion, but could not forget the way it had made him feel at the time. His insides felt like they had turned to soft melted fudge. By comparison, the Harkness handshake was firm, dry and as brief as possible. A single shake, no more. He didn't try to get one over on the new boy, which Jones' had been half expecting. Ianto had been in plenty of situations where someone had almost crushed his fingers to 'test' his reaction. It didn't come. Oddly, he respected the fact that the Captain hadn't tried it on.

It had been Gwen who had fetched him from the railway station, brought him through the Tourist Office front on the wharfside near Roald Dahl Plas and into the bowels of Torchwood Cardiff via the 'secret' door. She had an endearing way of chattering too much when nervous and (Ianto wasn't sure if it disturbed him or not) his arrival had made her nervous. He had been openly admiring of the set-up, although the others had shown its faults to him over the course of the next few months. They had given him perfectly valid reasons why certain things made life more difficult and others had needed jury rigging to make them even part-way operational. It seemed that Suzie, in her growing madness, had ignored or dismissed lots of problems and most of those had needed ironing out immediately. He had attempted to requisition things, buy things or authorise things that would rectify the difficulties, some of which had worked, some hadn't. Overall, things had improved, which he was proud of. He was suitably impressed with the team's ingenuity though and had praised a blushing Toshiko for her work. Jack had not said a word about any of it, although Ianto had caught him looking now and again, almost as though he wanted to say something, to make some comment, but had held it back.

Since his arrival, Ianto had made an effort to come up to expectations, throwing himself into the work, trying to support his new team, listening and organising and, well…leading, he hoped, by example. The lack of response from Jack Harkness had surprised him but he therefore assumed that he couldn't be performing _that _badly. Surely, he surmised, someone with Jack's personality would simply not be able to sit back and let him make a hash of things without making comment. Maybe he was like that, maybe the brashness all the reports referred to wasn't as prominent as they thought. Didn't stop him wishing Jack wouldn't be so formal though, would at least be a little more friendly. He smiled "No, thank you Jack, there's nothing else" but the man didn't move to leave. Ianto looked at him, frowning "Was there something?" he asked.

For a moment he thought Jack wasn't going to speak but then he took a deep breath and said "I need to talk to you Sir"

"OK, go ahead" Ianto gave him his full attention, the least he could do really.

"I've been thinking quite a lot lately Sir. I guess you could say I've been considering my future and I've made my decision. I have to tell you, I'm leaving Torchwood"

Ianto sat as if poleaxed, the coffee mug paralysed half way to his mouth. He was completely taken by surprise.

"Jack? Why?"

**So there it is, first chapter done…Oh God, I hope people like it - excuse me, anxiety attack here – really wish I had more of the Harkness 'who-the-hell-cares' attitude really. I know I require a thicker skin if I'm to become a writer. So please read and review, I await in trepidation as its only the second thing I've posted that I'm half way happy with. Have got more chapters written, just waiting to see response first.**

**Sorry if this has been done before, but it's just a bit of fun with an AU setting. Just a 'what if…' really. I don't know the site well enough to have tracked anything similar down yet. Please be kind….**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here.**

**Warning: Explicit, MA for adult theme. Jack/Ianto Slash/swearing.**

**Now we know who was appointed to head Torchwood 3, will he be able to keep Jack? **

Every working day since he had arrived in Cardiff, Ianto Jones had come to the Hub from his neat little flat 3 kilometres away and every working day Jack had wished Ianto would notice him. The first time he had seen the picture they had been sent of their new boss he had wondered at the decision to make such a young man the leader of such a dangerous and front line operation as Torchwood Cardiff. Placed as they were in an unpredictable area of Rift activity, Jack had always hoped they might decide that he was the man for the job, but yet again, the powers that be had overlooked him. He privately thought they were afraid of him, of his special ability, his unnerving ability to come back from the dead. He did not want to think that the new man might share that fear.

He was the longest serving Torchwood operative, almost from the Institute's inception 130 years ago. He had served first as an un-contracted agent, taking any job given to him. He had never cared, he was paid, he saw the world. He had served in both world wars, he had been through the whole gamut of human emotions, he had loved and lost people time and again. He had even been murdered by Torchwood leader Alex Hopkins, when, suffering a breakdown, Hopkins had killed his team and then himself on the eve of the millennium. Jack had returned again though, continuing to serve under Suzie Costello, and then after her death, Ianto Jones.

Jack had considered the man to be wet behind the ears until he had read the file Tosh' had managed to pull from the archives. Apparently he had been little more than a Junior Archivist, an administrator for Torchwood 1, with little field experience to distinguish his name. However, that had all changed when the Daleks and Cybermen had invaded. Then he had managed to distinguish himself at Canary Wharf. Together with a few others, all that was left of Torchwood 1, they had played their part in eliminating both Dalek and Cybermen, saving themselves as well as valuable Torchwood archives and artefacts in the process. Afterwards, he had apparently 'assumed command' of the remaining survivors, organised them into coherent groups, some to look after their injured colleagues, some to mount a salvage operation to rescue what could be dredged from the wreckage before they were relieved by UNIT troops and rescue personnel. In the end, of Torchwood 1's 823 personnel, there were only 27 known survivors. 467 were dead, with the rest numbered missing. Ianto lost his fiancée, Lisa, a fellow Torchwood employee, in the battle. They were to find that it was something he rarely referred to. Beyond admitting he had experienced loss in his past, no one knew much about that part of him.

Accounts from some of the survivors had been almost comical, even embarrassing, their surprise at Ianto's leadership evident. "He was just so _forceful_" Researcher Janice Telford said in her statement "It was like a different person, he was always so _nerdy_ before". Dr Flemming, one of the most senior staff to survive, had been openly appreciative "Never knew him, worked in Archives I believe, but you'd have thought he worked in Management the way he acted. Still waters eh? Ah well, you know what they say, desperation brings out desperate action" and Alex Hardcastle, an IT Technician, had been the most vociferous "He was great, absolutely bloody great. There we all were, stunned, and he just…took over. He was bloody wonderful. He deserves a medal" Tosh had smiled and Owen had laughed and said "Poor bugger, I wonder if he knows what they think?"

"I think its sweet, he must be a nice guy" Gwen had said "I'm looking forward to meeting him"

"Nice guy he may be, but we don't need a 'nice guy', we need a leader" Jack had said with a sigh "as long as his leadership skills are not limited to emergencies…"

Jack had reserved judgement, he never took reports on face value, preferring to see for himself how a person acted in the flesh. He had to admit, however, he was impressed by the initial report and he had not been disappointed. Jones had gone on to distinguish himself several times in the field since taking up the leadership of Torchwood 3. He was young, handsome and single, almost as tall as Jack who found himself looking into a pair of blue eyes to match his own. He had a boyish smile and a firm handclasp and Jack was not immune to any of it, no matter how hard he had tried. The fact that Jones was also modest, hard working, always in the front line and carried himself with quiet dignity was also not lost on the Captain, and the sadness he saw reflected in the blue eyes sometimes made the urge to reach out and comfort him almost overwhelming. Those were the times he simply had to absent himself, make some hasty excuse and depart, before he did something they would both regret.

Coming to this decision had not been easy but he couldn't think of any other way. He ached to get closer to the man, had even passed it off as infatuation, a crush that meant nothing. Somehow, reluctantly, he had realised it was nothing of the sort. He was drawn to him, admired his stoicism, his pragmatic practicality, his gentle and dry sense of humour. But there was something that put Jones above such contact, he was their leader, aloof, removed from the others somehow. He kept himself apart, while still being an active part of the team. It was almost as if he feared that to do otherwise would make him vulnerable in some way, that they might take advantage of his lack of experience or some other perceived weakness. Nobody could fault his courage. He had wielded an assortment of guns as well as a knife with deadly accuracy before now, despatching human menaces as well as alien. Jack could not but admire his skills and, although there was room for improvement, Ianto Jones was quick, accurate and decisive, but his fighting always seemed to be tinged with the passion of revenge, even though Jones would opt for capture rather than killing if it could be achieved safely.

As a fellow warrior, Jack had hoped they would find common ground but they had barely exchanged words beyond what was required for day to day working. The opportunity never arose to socialise, Jones never joined them for a drink or for food. He preferred his own company and speculations were rife about everything from his sexuality to his favourite colour. They knew that was red, however, when he had replied to their throw-away question as he had been going into his office one day and the others had been discussing such trivia. "Claret actually" he had added with typical accuracy for detail.

"Do you think he's Gay?" Tosh had speculated over the chinese take-away that same evening.

"Must be, ever known a straight guy to wear a red shirt like that?" Owen commented.

"Watch it, my Rhys wears a red shirt" Gwen replied warningly.

"Well, he did say it was his favourite colour" Tosh reminded them "And he looks good in it"

"Nah" Owen grunted "That's to hide the blood, if he ever gets hurt. Then it won't demoralise the troops if their leader gets shot"

"He's straight as a line" Jack said firmly.

"What makes you so sure?" Owen retorted "He's so stuck up his own arse, he has to be gay"

"Thanks Owen, I'll remember that" Jack grinned, cuffing the back of his head gently "No Christmas card for you this year"

Owen humphed and said it didn't matter, he didn't believe in Christmas anyway, and besides which, wasn't Jack always saying he wasn't _"Gay"_ and that he didn't like labels?

"He had a fiancée" Gwen reminded them "It said so on the report Tosh pulled, didn't it?" Just then the Rift alarm had gone off, dinner was forgotten in the rush and the subject hadn't come up again.

Things for Jack had gone from bad to worse since then, until just being around the man made his insides turn to melted butter. It was insane. The man was straight for God's sake, although, thinking back, that had never stopped him before. But this time, on this planet, in their 21st century, among these prudish, obstinate, just-dragging-themselves-out-of-the-Victorian-age British, with their so-called liberal attitudes which were anything but, Jack was wary. He wished with all his heart that Ianto Jones would relax around him, just once let that force field down from around his heart and open up. He couldn't even say for certain that they were friends.

The others were cottoning on to his infatuation. He tried hard to conceal it but Tosh knew. She sympathised too, which made it easier, but it was still embarrassing. She had caught him by the office door one evening, delivering coffee. What he was actually doing was leaning on the door frame watching Ianto asleep on his sofa while the coffee cooled in the mug, captivated by how young he looked, how the lines smoothed from his face. He was imagining how soft that hair would be under his fingers… Just at that point, she touched his arm. Startled, he had lost hold of the mug and it had crashed to the floor, waking Ianto with the noise and splashing cold coffee over everything. Flustered, Jack had hastened to pick up the pieces, mumbling an apology. "Oh Jack!" Tosh was saying "I'm so sorry" she turned to Ianto, neatly covering Jack's confusion and said "I was in too much of a hurry, I'm sorry, I bumped into Jack coming up with your coffee. I needed to get these to you" she brandished the files "Look, I'll clean up, it was my fault" but Jack had stuttered a denial and had gone to fetch a mop before anyone realised there was no steam rising from the spilt liquid.

Tosh had found him in the kichen area later, bleeding from a deep cut on his finger from the broken pottery. She had mopped it dry, fussed over him, told him he would probably need stitches and to go see Owen, then had seen the tears threatening. It was so unlike Jack to be so vulnerable.

"What's wrong?" she had asked and it all came spilling out, how difficult it was to work around the person you wanted more than anyone in the world, how frightening it was that he might not return your feelings. He had been totally surprised by her reaction, the sadness in her eyes. She admitted then she felt the same for Owen, but she was afraid to say anything, just felt her insides turn to butterflies when he was near, melting when he complemented her (which was rare, and so more special).

"You hide it well" Jack said gently.

"So do you" she replied "but somehow, I feel better, just sharing this. It was getting to be a burden, not saying anything. Oh my God, you won't ever tell him…?" she looked alarmed, scared even.

"No!" he shook his head, chuckling "Never. I'm a flirt, but I don't betray confidences. I know how much of a burden it is, keeping it to yourself" he murmured, impulsively hugging her "Thanks for covering for me" and from then on it had gotten a little better, but not nearly enough.

And now Jack had made his intent clear. He knew what it meant. They would probably use Retcon on him, the retroactive drug that would wipe his memory. Or maybe not, he had a lot of memory to try wiping. He almost yearned to forget Ianto Jones. Maybe he could transfer, there had been discussions of rebuilding Torchwood 1 in London. He saw the shock in Ianto's eyes, was a little surprised by it, not sure of his ground.

"Jack, why? You're a good operative, excellent even, I've never had cause to complain…" he was puzzled, actually thrown badly off balance. Even if he never said it, he had come to rely on Jack quite heavily to support the rest of the crew in combat, knowing that his experience, his unflappable nature and calm-in-the-face-of-fire approach held the rest of them together, even him. He was decisive, confident, and it rubbed off on everyone around him.

Jack's face was expressionless, he could close down and hide anything he wanted to, Jones knew that. If he didn't want to reveal anything, he wouldn't. Now he simply stood there, unmoving.

"Why Jack?" Jones asked again "I can't…"

The alarm went off, shattering the silence. In seconds, Jones was on his feet and running out the door, grabbing his overcoat as he went, calling for the rest of them and demanding to know what was happening. Owen emerged from the autopsy room, shouldering his bag and trying to adjust the gun holster on his belt. Toshiko followed him, dashing back to her workstation, tapping on the keyboard, bringing up the arrays. Gwen emerged from the lower levels, gun in hand, ripping the ear defenders off her head. Jack dodged to the weapon cabinet as Tosh began relaying what was happening. A rift spike nearby, something had landed in someone's back garden. She was rapidly bringing up co-ordinates and sending them to the on-board computer in the SUV. Jack handed out weapons – the standard Torchwood issue pistols, a couple of stun guns and a rifle - grabbing extra ammo and running after his boss.

"We'll talk later" Jones muttered as they got in the vehicle and drove at break-neck speed through the dark streets. Jack said nothing. He concentrated on driving.

The police were already there, setting up scene of crime tape and sealing off the street. Jones ducked under the tape, immediately recognised by the duty police and let in without a word. Somebody muttered "Wondered how long it would be before they arrived…" as they passed but no one tried to stop them. PC Andy Davidson, Gwen's partner when she had been in the Force, was talking to the frightened owners of the house. He was the one who came over and told them about the mess in the back garden, showing them through the patio and onto the large expanse of dark, neatly clipped grass. 40 yards away something had ripped a deep gouge forming a diagonal path across the greenery, destroying part of the fence and coming to rest in the shrubbery at the end of the long garden. The remains of a kids' set of swings and climbing frame were twisted into the scene. Jones shook his head, he was only thankful it had happened at night and not caused fatalities during the day. Jack was scanning the area, taking in the details. Gwen and Owen stayed to talk to the occupants of the house who had been shocked to find their roof almost blown off by the thing. Gwen had always been especially good at the tea-and-sympathy approach, often getting more from people than Jack with his more forthright ways. Drawing his sidearm, Ianto left her to it and made his way down the garden towards the crashed 'meteor', examining the gouge as he went. Jack followed him, warily scanning the shrubbery as they passed, pausing to look into the gouge as he stepped over it.

The result was a blackened oval shape, approximately three metres long and maybe two metres wide. It was streaming steam and green light and its back end was open. Jack took a brief look inside. It was empty.

"Whatever arrived, got out" he said and tapping his communication link in his right ear he said "Tosh? You got anything? Whatever was in this thing has "left the building", no sign of it"

"Nothing Jack" she said "nothing our sensors can pick up anyway. I've been tracking its arrival through every CCTV camera and monitoring array I can find and although I know roughly where it came from, I can't tell you what it is. It's the same size of some of the escape pods we've seen but not identifiable I'm afraid, sorry"

"Thanks Tosh, keep trying. We need to know what we're facing out here" and he looked around for Jones.

Ianto had moved a little way back towards the house, his eyes on the gouge. Something was holding his interest there and Jack moved to see what it was. As he made his way through a ruined flower bed, a movement caught his eye to the left, a darker patch in the darkness of the hedge. Owen and Gwen were still at the house, too far away to do anything. Without thinking, Jack launched himself, catching Jones heavily in his side, bowling him out of the way just as the 'thing' lunged out of the shadows of the shrubbery, wicked-looking bladed arms slashing towards him. If Jack had not hit him full force and knocked him out of the way, the blades would neatly have sliced his head from his shoulders. Rolling away and onto his feet as the 'thing' leapt past, Jack's Webley cracked, the muzzle flash lighting up the darkness. The thing screeched, but wasn't stopped. As it came in fast, Jack drew his knife, was dimly aware of Gwen's cry of alarm and Owen running down towards them. It closed in almost too fast to follow, slashed again, then its screech was cut short with another boom, this time from Jones's gun. He was still on the ground, on his back, but his arms were extended, gun pointing unwaveringly at the creature. It was still something of a lucky shot, straight to the head, through the jutting jaw and up into its cranium. The misshapen 'head' exploded, scattering black blood and bits of flesh all over. Its body dropped heavily to the ground, blood pumping into the grass.

"Jack? Jack!" the voice got to him through a sea of pain. He opened his eyes to see Ianto Jones looking down at him. He knew he was hurt, he was lying in a rapidly spreading pool of his own blood. Jones was on his knees by his side, worried eyes gazing into his.

"You saved my life" Ianto was shaking, something Jack had never seen before "God Jack…" he looked down at the damage and paled. A hand fisted into his coat lapel and he was pulled closer.

"Finish it" Jack said, rasping through gritted teeth.

Owen got to his side, examined the damage and shook his head, briefly "Sorry mate" he said gently. Jack nodded, once, understanding.

"Ianto" he had never called him by his first name, ever. Jones looked at him in surprise "Finish it for me"

"What? I…"

"It's a belly wound…_Sir_" he ground out "Do you know what that means?" Ianto shook his head and Jack grimaced "I'm dying, and you know it"

"But you'll come back? He'll come back, won't he?" he looked desperately at Owen who shrugged "Always has before" he said matter-of-factly.

"Belly wounds are bad. I've seen…enough of them…to know" the effort to speak was costing him "…I could take hours to die, it'll poison me…in agony…do you want that?"

"We can get you back to the Hub, Owen can make you comfortable, get the pain under control"

"No"

"No?"

"Ianto, please, just…" his voice gave out.

"I think he wants you to kill him Sir" Owen said helpfully.

"What? How? Do I shoot him? Here?" there was an edge of panic to the normally cool exterior.

"No…knife…" Jack's voice was a whisper but the hand in Ianto's lapel still gripped like steel. Ianto saw the knife where Jack had let go of it, lying nearby. He reached for it. His palm was suddenly clammy, slippery. He dried it on the knee of his trousers and gripped the hilt of the razor sharp hunting blade more firmly. With his other hand he prised Jack's away from his lapel and laced their fingers together.

"Are you sure?" Jack nodded, watched as he saw the resolve harden in Ianto's eyes.

"Quicker this way" Jack said "I'll suffer less"

Gwen was by his side now too, closely followed by Andy.

"Get him out of here!" Jones ordered and Gwen shepherded a protesting Andy back towards the house, her eyes worried. Ianto turned back to Jack "If you don't come back, I'll bloody kill you" he muttered, raising a smile from the stricken man beside him. He placed the knife over the breastbone, but moments later, Owen gently repositioned his hand with the knife below Jack's ribs "Sorry Sir, but you'll not be able to go through the sternum, too hard. Up and under, easier"

"You're the Doctor, can't you do this?" he tried hard to stop the pleading in his voice.

"No, he asked _you_ to do it" Owen said, surprisingly gently.

Ianto braced himself, his eyes never leaving Jack's. He was surprised to see such trust in them. Then he thrust, hard and fast, the blade going in easily, frighteningly easily. Jack's sigh was one of relief as the breath left his body, his eyes closed, his last sight being Ianto. He smiled, briefly, as the darkness took him. If ever I do die, he thought, if he's the last thing I see, I'll be happy.

**Hope this has got you wondering, hope you like it. Does it feel as if its going the right way? I'm pleased with this, I'd appreciate comments though. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here.**

**Warning: Explicit, MA for adult theme. Jack/Ianto Slash/swearing**

**Mr Jones is on a learning curve, but will he be able to adapt to the situation…?**

Waking was bad, again, his in-drawn breath a painful gasp back into life. He coughed, his mouth and throat dry, his lungs starved of oxygen. He gradually became aware of his surroundings, realising that for once he was in a bed, not a body bag. He opened heavy eyes to see nothing but a bright blur. Someone moved close, he felt his arm being gripped and a sharp scratch in the muscle. He blinked, his vision cleared sufficiently to see Ianto Jones sitting on the bed, an empty hypodermic syringe in his hand.

"Welcome back" he said "almost given up on you" he was smiling though. He eyed the syringe "Owen wanted me to do this, he said you always have a wicked headache when you come back. Thought this might help. Hope I didn't hurt you, I'm not used to giving injections"

Jack blinked again, his vision clearing completely this time. His head had the beginnings of the familiar crushing headache that coming back always brought with it but it was fading rapidly "Good for Owen" his voice was rusty "thank him for me"

"How do you feel?"

"I've been better. Wouldn't worry about hurting me" he indicated the syringe "I recall you stabbed me with something bigger than that"

"God Jack" a laugh escaped "If I didn't know better I'd say you were still flirting!" he shook his head "I'm glad to see you back" the words were heartfelt and honest.

"You are?"

"Yes, I am…" he stood up, dropped the syringe into a metal bowl on the desk. Jack was surprised to note that he had lost his immaculate veneer. He looked tired, red-eyed and dishevelled. His tie was off and his collar was open revealing more of the smooth chest than jack was comfortable with at that moment. He had rolled his shirt sleeves up, his hair was mussed. As Jack watched, he sat behind his desk, leaned his elbows on the top and put his head in his hands. The bed was in Ianto's office, the sofa bed that he rarely used, there in case of horrendously late nights working. Jack began to shake, reaction setting in. He was cold too, as his metabolism got used to being alive again.

"Is that normal?" Ianto asked, seeing the condition he was in.

Jack barked a laugh "Define normal! Nothing about this is normal" he shook his head in exasperation. He suddenly realised that he was naked under the duvet, wondered briefly who had undressed him. He lay back. He had to admit that it was good to be in a bed, albeit in _this_ bed. The familiar ache somewhere south of his navel had nothing to do with returning from the dead. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Jack, about what you were telling me before…" Ianto looked at him gravely "I'm sorry but I'm not letting you go so easily"

Here it comes, he thought, about how I'm such a good little operative they can't afford to lose me, about how there's no one to replace me…

"I thought I'd lost you" Ianto's voice was odd, almost choked. That was a surprise. Jack opened his eyes and looked at him, but he was staring at the desk "I'm sorry Jack…" he scrubbed at his eyes with his hands "…but I've never had direct experience of you dying before. I've never had to kill anyone like that before either…"

"You knew I was coming back" Jack pointed out.

"I _thought_ you were, there's a difference" he said vehemently "I didn't _know_. I'll never know for certain, I'll always worry, every time, in case one day…" he paused, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly "…in case one day you don't"

Jack studied the younger man carefully. He had never seen him display so much emotion before. "Jack, you hold things together for me, for us. I'm the boss but you…you're the glue, the confidence, the energy. Every time I'm out there, you're there too. How am I going to carry on without that?"

"You can. You did at Canary Wharf?"

"Hardly" he said "I did that because I had to"

"SO? You have to do this"

"Jack, I…" he sighed, got up from behind the desk and came round to lean against the front of it "…That's the difference between us. I'm the leader because I do what is expected of me. You, you make people want to do what you expect of them!" He fixed Jack with an intense stare "I need to know something from you. I…I tend to hold back, I'm not good at revealing how I feel…"

"Neither am I, Sir" he said.

"Oh for God's sake, Jack, drop the 'Sir'!" he snapped "its driving me nuts!"

Startled, Jack frowned. He struggled to sit, aware that this conversation didn't seem right to face prone. He felt at a distinct disadvantage as his boss stood over him. It was far from a good idea however. His head thudded painfully, despite the painkiller Owen had sent, he felt dizzy and suddenly sick. He groaned, protesting at the pain.

"Easy Jack" Ianto said urgently "For God's sake, take things steady" He felt gentle hands on his shoulders, easing him back against the pillows "Don't try to move so fast"

"I'm fine" he muttered.

"Well I'm not!" Ianto paced the floor, frustration and anger showing through the normally cool facade "Tell me, am I seeing things that are not there or are you…do you…?" he stopped, growled with exasperation at his inability to articulate what he felt "…I catch you flicking glances my way when you think I'm not looking. I know when you're looking at me, you know that? I can _feel_ your eyes on me. When we're together, sometimes I get the feeling you want to talk and then you don't say anything. You always serve me coffee before anyone else. Around me, you hold yourself back as if you don't dare let go, yet you're all smiles and Mr Happy with the others. You stand as close to me as you can get, as if you'd like to get closer. You used to smile, Your grin would light up the room when you saw me. That's gone…Am I near the truth of any of this or am I way off?"

Jack was quiet. He didn't know what to say. Ianto had neatly pinned him, everything he had thought he was doing so subtly, it had all been so bloody obvious to this man who missed nothing where his team were concerned. He felt foolish.

"So it is true then?" Ianto Jones asked gently "or am I seeing something that isn't there? Are you attracted to me, Jack Harkness, or am I just fucked in the head?"

Jack nodded, not trusting himself to speak. When he did, it was quiet "That's why I have to go, I need to get out, transfer…I can't be here any more…I won't be here to get what I feel for you thrown back in my face. This job is hard enough without facing something every day of my life knowing I can't have it, until I have to watch it grow old and die without having had the chance to…" he stopped, sighed gustily "…without having the chance to show it how I feel"

"Jack, I said I'm not letting you go. End of story" Ianto was looking at him steadily "and let's face it, I might not get the chance to grow old and die. In case you haven't noticed, Torchwood has no pension scheme, they haven't yet needed one" he sat on the edge of the bed, took hold of Jack's hand and laced the fingers through his in recollection of the last time.

Jack looked at their linked hands "That was…well done, by-the-way" he admitted "hurt like hell, but not half as much as it would have. I, er…I haven't thanked you properly"

Ianto's eyes were unreadable, bleak and troubled "I've never had to administer a coup de grace before" he said softly.

"You see, you're learning new things all the time" Jack offered, the familiar smile in place again.

"Yeah, mercy killing and injections, all in one day" but Ianto was smiling, albeit crookedly, Jack was relieved to see. He had doubted just how much the young man had been affected by the day's events. Jack studied him silently. Ianto was so handsome when he smiled…

"You saved my life" Ianto was saying and Jack dragged his attention back to what he was saying "In case you hadn't noticed, I can't come back from the dead like you can. You should have asked me Jack, you should have said something. Not like the Jack Harkness I know to lack courage" Suddenly Jack was drawn into a firm embrace, strong arms gently lifting him to a sitting position, wrapping firmly round his back and holding him close. Ianto's breath ghosted across his ear, down his neck, face pressed into his hair. Jack responded fiercely, his own arms twining round Ianto's body, his face close to the younger man's neck. They sat like that for what seemed like an age, comfortable with the contact, but it was Ianto who broke the connection, sitting back almost reluctantly. Next moment, one hand cupped Jack's chin and the other slipped behind his neck and Ianto's mouth fastened over his in an experimental kiss that took his breath away. He leaned into the embrace, yielding completely, then returning it with enthusiasm, unable to believe it was happening. Ianto sat back, breathless and wide eyed "Well, that was…interesting" he said "never kissed a man before"

"Could have fooled me" Jack murmured, eyes half closed "another first? You're learning a lot today" Suddenly his eyes snapped open, he looked at Ianto in shock "You mean you're…you've never…" he swallowed.

Ianto's laugh was throaty "I've never done it with a man but I'm not a virgin Jack" he said "Sorry to disappoint you there" Suddenly he yawned mightily, running a hand through his hair "Sorry" he said apologetically "after today, I'm asleep on my feet"

"What time is it?" Jack had no idea. The Hub was quiet, but he figured everybody must be working. Ianto looked at his watch "3:30am" he said, smothered another yawn with his hand and tried to smile but it got lost somewhere.

"Damn" Jack swore "You need sleep, never mind me"

"I said I wouldn't leave you" he replied defensively "Owen was insistent. It was the only way I could get him to go home" he ran a hand round his neck, trying to ease the stiffness. Jack didn't hesitate, he threw back the top corner of the duvet and just gave Ianto a look.

"Oh no, no I couldn't…" Ianto was unaccountably flustered.

"Why not?"

"The others…"

"…have gone home"

"But it wouldn't be appropriate"

"To Hell with "appropriate", that kiss you just gave me wasn't "appropriate". I think we're way beyond that now, don't you? You need to sleep and I am not letting you go home now"

"Jack…"

"Ianto…" his name, spoken so gently, so insistently, made him pause "Don't ask questions. Don't think. Just come to bed. I won't touch you, I promise" Jack watched Ianto's resolve weaken and he sat down heavily on the edge of the bed again. Jack swung his legs out of the bed, ending up sitting beside Ianto, just managing to keep his dignity covered with the duvet. Ianto glanced at him as he moved closer, reached for him and ran a hand along his arm. Jack found the shirt buttons and unfastened them all, tugging his shirt loose and peeling it off.

"Damn, I ache" Ianto admitted "I think I'm coming down with something"

"See Owen in the morning" Jack suggested "I did throw you to the ground after all"

"I'm not that bad, you've no need to worry"

"I'm not worried, but you are coming to bed" he insisted "besides, if you are coming down with something, I think know a good way to sweat it out of you" his look was so comically lecherous that Ianto couldn't help but laugh. He did, however, submit to Jack's orders meekly and allowed him to divest him of the rest of his clothes. It was odd, getting into the bed with the man who, up until a scant few moments ago had been his subordinate. Ianto felt somehow that those roles had been subtly reversed, he being the one taking the orders all of a sudden. Jack lay down beside him and offered his arms. Ianto mutely came within his embrace again, resting his head on Jack's shoulder.

"I'm still your boss" he murmured "and I'm still not sure this is entirely appropriate"

"Since when did the word 'appropriate' apply to Torchwood?" Jack asked reasonably, his breath caressing Ianto's hair "That kiss wasn't _appropriate_, it was _necessary_. We're a family, we're a team, we work together, grieve together, why the hell shouldn't we love each other too? Love in any form always beats the dark" he said, as if quoting something, or someone.

"Where d'you get that from?"

"Someone I knew once" was all he said. Jack closed his eyes, suddenly felt a soft touch against his cheek. Ianto's fingers grazed his skin. "How are you feeling?"

"It gets better every minute" Jack took a deep breath "How are you?"

"Tired" his eyes were heavy.

"Go to sleep…Sir" he added and exhaled sharply as Jones' fist hit him in the ribs "Ooft! Please Sir" he murmured huskily "be gentle with me…"

"Harkness, I ought to beat the living shit out of you" Ianto murmured "you said you wouldn't touch me" blue eyes studied him from inches away. Then, abruptly, he rolled upright and left the bed. Jack immediately missed the warmth of his body but appreciatively watched the rear view of smooth skin, muscles rippling as he moved. He padded to the desk and rummaged in a drawer, retrieving a small black box with four buttons on it and depressed one. Immediately all the Office windows turned opaque and dark, polarised for privacy. Another one dimmed the lights to a comfortable glow. The third secured the door, its 'ca-click' locking them in. Then he put the control on the desk and turned.

Jack's breath caught in his throat. Ianto Jones was absolutely _beautiful_ - long, strong legs, flat stomach and hard pads of the pectorals perfectly displayed, among other things. He couldn't fail to notice _that_, the generous endowment he had been hiding under his formal clothing. Seeing jack's eyes on him, a blush crept across his face but he got right back into the bed, sliding under the covers and fitting that warm and beautiful body alongside Jack's. A sigh escaped Harkness' lips as he felt the welcome warmth. He was pulled into a rough embrace and Ianto murmured "Go to sleep Jack" and he had no choice other than to obey the implacable order. Closing his eyes, Jack tried to ignore the hammering of his heart and the more insistant response from elsewhere while he tried to still his mind to a point where he could rest. Jones had no such problem, he was asleep and snoring softly in minutes.

**There we are, together at last. There is more to come though. Some issues are left to be resolved…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here.**

**[WARNING EXPLICIT] MA for adult theme, Jack/Ianto slash/swearing.**

**Breaking down barriers, unresolved issues and a final disagreement. Will they each see the other's point of view?**

Jack woke with a start, disorientated for a moment. Then the events of the previous night rushed back and he wondered if it had all been a dream. The bed was rumpled and there was no sign of Jones but the door was open and the place was still quiet. He lay where he was, reluctant to rise and face the day. Then Jack heard feet on the steps up to the office level and there was Ianto, shirtless, carrying a tray. Coffee steamed invitingly, fresh buttered toast was piled high on a plate.

"You're awake" Ianto grinned, putting the tray on his desk "I made breakfast. The others will be here soon. How do you feel now?"

"Fine…did we…last night? Did I dream…?"

Ianto was smiling, broadly "No, not a bit of it, we slept together, in that bed, you and I entwined like lovers" Ianto sounded triumphant, happy "Why?" his face fell "You don't regret that, do you? Please tell me you're not having second thoughts"

"No, no, of course not" Jack said and was gratified to see the relief on Jones' face. "I just couldn't believe it for a moment there. When I found you gone I…"

"…thought the worst?" he offered "Sorry"

Jack sighed "Best night of my life" he said gently.

"Bollocks!" Ianto challenged "We didn't even do anything. I bet you've had much better, shagging some alien in some distant galaxy…"

Jack smirked and said nothing, then shook his head "believe me, there is nothing like sharing a bed with a member of your own species, especially when you have feelings for them. Sure, I can remember great sex, amazing sensations, fantastic orgasms, some species make amazing prostitutes" he said almost absently, a far-away look in his eyes "but they've got nothing on how it feels to know your feelings are returned" his eyes focussed on Ianto's. The younger man's mouth was open in amazement.

"You are not kidding, are you?" he said and Jack laughed.

"No, I'm not, get used to it. Aliens are real Ianto, did Canary Wharf not teach you that?" he was unprepared for the response his words evoked. It was like shutters coming down. Ianto's eyes closed, he clamped his lips shut and his brow furrowed. Then he abruptly stood up and left, almost running. Jack shot to his feet, calling after him but he was beyond stopping. The gate alarm went and Jack swore, the others were coming in. Damn it, where had he run to? Jack went out in time to see them all come tumbling through the door, laughing at something.

"God, put some clothes on Jack" Owen shouted up, his words making both women look skywards to see their colleague on the balcony above.

"Oh My God" Gwen giggled.

"Have you seen Ianto?" Jack called down and received puzzled looks

"So its "Ianto" now, is it?" Owen said, nudging a snickering Gwen "What d'you do Jack? Frighten him silly? Or did the Boss insist on shagging the Tea Boy?"

"Shut up Owen" Tosh snapped, receiving a puzzled look from the doctor. She looked up at Jack and said "When did he go?"

"Less than a minute ago"

"Well, we didn't pass him" she said helpfully "and we didn't see him, so he might be in the archives?" Jack disappeared, returning minutes later fully dressed and sliding down the steps as fast as he could.

"What happened?" Gwen asked, sounding worried.

"My fault, I mentioned Canary Wharf before I could stop myself"

"Damn" Owen said "You stupid git!"

"Owen, check the medical bay" Tosh suggested "Gwen, go down to the shooting range and Jack, you take the archives, I'll stay here in case he comes back. Did you check the kitchen?"

"I haven't checked anywhere. He'd only just gone as you came in"

"Right, I'll do that. Well, get to it" she said firmly and went off to check.

Jack followed the corridor down into the basement area of the complex. He didn't have to look far before he heard the sound. Soft muted sobbing. He walked slowly, carefully, until he came out into the archive storage area.

"Ianto?"

"Don't" came the reply, stiff and cold.

"I'm sorry, it was thoughtless of me"

"Nothing anyone can do, just leave me alone"

"uh-uh, no can do Ianto" he said, moving carefully between the boxes.

"I..I'm alright, just let me be alone, please?"

Jack rounded the corner of a filing cabinet, looked down and found him, huddled on the floor against the wall, arms wrapped around his knees. Jack slid down the wall until he was sitting next to him, slipped an arm round his shoulders and pulled him close. At first he resisted, but Jack kept up the pressure and eventually he fell against him, burying his face in the Jack's breast.

"Let it go Yan, don't let it eat you up"

Hearing his name shortened to the pet name his mother used to call him, he suddenly lost all pretence, gave himself up to the grief, clinging sobbing as if his heart was breaking. It probably was, Jack thought, wondering if he had ever allowed himself to grieve. It was a long time to go without release of some sort. It spoke volumes about the steel in the young man's character.

"I…I f. her " he stammered, gulping back the sobs "She was alive…" the horror of it filled him "broken, bleeding…." he gasped, stifled another sob "she was so hurt, so betrayed…" he looked into Jack's eyes, seeing only compassion, understanding "She was frightened, she'd lost…" he stopped "her skull…shattered…" he hissed "one of her arms was smashed, she was trying to move…" Jack stroked the short dark hair, murmuring soothing hushing noises but it was clear Ianto wanted to tell him, wanted to voice the revulsion he felt "her back was broken, her ribs, God Jack, everything was…there was blood everywhere, but she was alive!" his eyes were haunted "I held her Jack, held her until she died. I couldn't do anything else. What could I have done? There was no one Jack, no one to help, just us in the wreckage" for a moment he was back there, seeing it over again, his broken girl in his arms, his life shattered along with her body "I told her to go, Jack, I told her not to stay because of me. I felt the life leave her Jack, I felt it go. The last thing she saw was me"

"When you killed me" Jack said gently "the last thing I saw was you. The last thing I saw were your eyes, you never took your eyes off mine. If that's what she saw, then she'd have died feeling safe" he voiced the thing that had crossed his mind that night "I remember thinking, if I ever do die, if the last thing I ever see is you, I'll die happy. I know she did the same Ianto" he continued to stroke his hair and eventually, the sobbing calmed to snuffles. "There, I'm so sorry Yan" he said gently "Owen called me a stupid git, I guess he's right"

"No, no, don't" he said "it just took me by surprise, that's all. And would you stop calling me Yan, my mother called me that…she died when I was twelve"

"Hell Ya..Ianto, I'm sorry. I…" two fingers were laid gently on his lips to quiet him. He looked into the blue eyes and frowned. Ianto smiled, a brave attempt, but it cost him. Jack stood up and held out a hand.

"Come on, let's get you back. The others will be wondering"

"Oh God, no, tell me they don't know" he groaned.

"Well, what was I going to do? You ran out on me just as they came in. They're looking for you too" he helped Ianto stand and held out a handkerchief.

"Hell and Damnation Jack, I'm supposed to be the boss!" he whipped the handkerchief out of his fingers and blew his nose "I can't fall apart like that"

"Yes you can. You're the boss, never doubt that" he stood away, giving him a respectful distance "but you're also human, you need help once in a while. As I said, we're a family. We support each other, we help each other, we stick together. You're part of the team, if you'd let yourself be. Come and eat with us once in a while, come and have a drink with us. We don't bite. If you think you can maintain your control by keeping yourself above us, then think again. We don't work like that. When she was sane, Suzie was always part of the gang. So was Alex. My point being, we knew they were part of it all, right in there with us"

"And I'm not?"

Jack raised his eyes heavenward "Damn it Yan…"

"I told you…"

"Sorry! Ianto! Mr Jones! Sir!" he burst out "Whatever! My point being, if you let yourself go a little, you'd know how we operate, you'd know that we'd never usurp your authority, that we'd never take advantage. You're the Boss and for this thing to work, you need to be able to trust us"

"A job you wanted, once" Ianto shot back "Can you tell me you're not just waiting for me to fuck up and then step in to my shoes?"

"Why bother?" Jack answered "If you fuck up, somebody else will be chosen, not me. I know Ianto, I'm not stupid. They're all afraid of me, of what I can do. They'll never promote me, ever. Best I can manage is doing what I do now, being part of the team, and maybe fucking the boss now and again, if he'll let me?" he grinned, showing white teeth. For a moment, Jack didn't know what Ianto would do, or say. He simply stood there, unmoving. "In case you're interested" he said eventually, if only to break the silence, "I am proud to work with you Ianto Jones. I read your file, read what you did after…" he stopped short of mentioning when and where "That took guts, as did coming here" he smiled and held out a hand "I'm sorry if I've been…hard to work with? You _can_ trust me, you can trust all of us. We already know we can trust you"

Ianto took a deep breath and gazed into Jack's eyes, then he took his hand and shook it "I know I can trust you Jack" he admitted "I've know that for a long time but I've been so far up my own arse I've forgotten what's important. Come on, let's go call off the man hunt, you can tell them you rescued me from the grip of some monstrous alien fiend…"

"Yourself, you mean?" Jack laughed. Ianto laughed with him and was still chuckling as they emerged into the Hub again. Owen stuck his head out of the autopsy room and frowned "Crisis over then?" he asked "Can we cancel Red Alert?"

"Ianto!" Tosh cried, rushing over and hugging him, then remembering herself and stepping back, uncertain.

"Come here!" he growled and pulled her back again, wrapping his arms round her and almost lifting her off her feet. Gwen arrived and got the same treatment. He turned to Owen who backed off, holding up a hand "Sorry Boss, I'm crap at male bonding!" but was dragged into a hug anyway and it ended up a five-way with them all grouped around him. Eventually they broke and stood around him, four people who would die for him, four people he would die for.

"I owe you all an apology. No! hear me out!" he said as they started to protest "Jack reminded me of something, something I've been neglecting recently. I may be the Boss but I've not been very communicative since I arrived. I'm sorry for that and I hope I can change things. We're a close knit group and my door is always open, to anyone, any time" he paused "always providing the bloody rift stays closed" he listened to the laughter and smiled "Let's get back to it people, the rift won't wait. Tosh, keep searching for anything you can find on that pod from yesterday. Gwen, I want you on clean up today, send out the standard press release, make sure we didn't miss anyone with the Retcon. UNIT took the craft and we'll need to get the findings as soon as they've got anything, but I think it might be nice to send someone to sort the garden out for those people, that swing was pretty well busted up. Kid's'll be upset. Send them a new one, present from Torchwood, very sorry, etc, you know the drill" She nodded and went to her workstation. "Owen, I presume you're still dissecting that thing?" he received a nod and a "It's a bit difficult without much of a head but I'm on it" as Owen disappeared back into the autopsy room.

In the silence which followed, he glanced at Jack.

"What about me?" Jack asked, feeling left out. The others all had their jobs.

"Well, after last night and this morning, I'm finished" Ianto paused "Look at me, I'm a wreck" he held his hand out, noticing the slight shaking "can't lift a gun like this, never mind shoot" he huffed down his nose "and what you must be feeling…" he raised his eyebrows "My office Jack, now" and he strode off, climbing the steps two at a time, not waiting to see if he was followed. Gwen and Tosh watched them as they passed by.

"Sir?" Tosh said from below "Do you want us to field all calls?"

Ianto paused and looked back down from the balcony. He smiled, especially when he realised Jack was following him. "Yes, Tosh, thank you. Give us a couple of hours. I'm in a meeting, the Captain and I have some unfinished business" and he went inside. Jack followed, seeing the cold coffee and toast. Wordlessly he took the tray and went out to the kitchen. He made everybody coffee, serving the others first for once, then took his and Ianto's upstairs to the office. As he closed the door, there was a 'ca-click' as it locked pointedly behind him, the windows polarised again and the lights dimmed.

"Ah, that's better" Ianto was stretched out on the bed, still clothed, arms above his head.

"Coffee" Jack said, placing it on the desk again, turning to admire the body stretched out below him.

"Thank you. Jack, come here" Ianto patted the bed. Jack sat, looking down at him, waiting.

"After everything we've said to each other" Ianto said softly "where do we go from here?"

"Where do you want to go?" Jack asked "I know where I want to go"

"And where would that be?"

"Anywhere you do"

Ianto gave a great snort of laughter and said through teary eyes "That has got to be the worst chat up line ever! Jack Harkness, you are a terrible flirt. Get those clothes off and get into this bed now before I figure out what a terrible mistake I'm making"

"Is that what you think?" Jack asked seriously "do you really think this is a bad idea?"

Ianto paused and studied him intently "No Jack" he said gently, laughter forgotten "No, I don't. In fact, its probably the best thing that's happened to me for a long time" he found his face cupped in strong hands, drawn into a deep kiss that left him gasping and wanting more, much more. His hands roamed down Jack's ribs, fingers touching heated skin, feeling bones and muscles contoured under his fingertips. Jack was devouring him, his tongue exploring, teeth nipping and teasing. He was held in a grip like iron, hard and relentless. He wound his arms round Jack's neck and dragged him even closer, feeling the need in Jack's body even as he felt his own desire spiralling out of control. Jack dragged the t-shirt over his head, breathing hard, impatience making him clumsy. He stood up to shed his trousers, dropping them round his ankles and kicking them away. Then he saw Ianto looking at him. The look in his half-closed eyes was an odd mix of hunger, desire and fear. He saw the younger man swallow, mouth partly open, panting. Then Jack remembered what he had said, he had never kissed a man before. Sure, he wasn't a virgin, but he hadn't sounded very confident either. Jack sat down on the bed and looked him in the eye. "Ianto, are you sure?" he didn't have to be more specific. Ianto understood what he was asking.

"No, I'm not sure of anything" he admitted "But I know this, if I can't trust you with this, I can't trust you with anything, and I do trust you Jack Harkness, or whatever your name really is, with my life"

For answer, Jack began to kiss him again, sucking on his bottom lip, his tongue exploring Ianto's mouth again. Kisses were placed gently on his eyelids, Jack's tongue played with an ear lobe, fingers pressed against his throat over the rapid pulse. Each nipple was suckled hard, bitten playfully, his tongue lapping and teasing. He went lower, feeling Ianto's fingers carding through his hair as his tongue traced patterns on the flat stomach, feeling the muscles tighten as he did so. He swirled his tongue around Ianto's belly button, hearing his gasp, feeling his back arch beneath him. Lower still, nuzzling, slowly coming closer to his goal. Ianto's eyes flew open, his breath clogged in his throat, he moaned, arched his back, Jack's hands clamped on his hips, holding him firmly down. Jack's mouth sealed round his throbbing cock, his tongue swirling round, stabbing the entrance, teeth nipping the tender flesh. Ianto threw his head back and moaned, long and loud. Jack wondered briefly if the office was soundproofed, then realised he didn't care. He wondered if Ianto might though, but he seemed to be past caring. When he started to suck, Ianto's whole body stiffened. He fisted his hands in the bedclothes, knuckles turning white. He threw his head back, grunted, gasping, forgetting to breath.

"Ianto!" Jack said, seeing glazed eyes roll in his direction "Breathe into it, don't forget to breathe" Ianto's chest heaved, then fell, heaved and fell, then Jack went to work on him again, sucking in time with the deep breaths. Ianto lost all sense of time. He felt gentle fingers in places where they really shouldn't be, massaging carefully, the sensation of something cold and slick, replaced by something that felt huge and hot. Suddenly bright lights exploded behind his eyelids and blackness threatenned.

"Ianto! Ianto!" somebody calling him. The blackness at the edge of his vision receded. He opened heavy eyes and found Jack, sitting between his legs. He looked, realised where he was, felt the sensations wash over him again "What happened?"

"You nearly passed out" Jack was laughing.

"Thanks for your concern"

For answer Jack thrust his hips forward. Ianto whimpered, feeling the powerful sensations swamp his senses again. "This time" Jack was saying "Don't forget to breathe!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It took him a long time to surface. He was in bed, alone. There was no sound anywhere, the Hub was quiet. Oh God, he felt so…weary. He woke with a jolt, coming fully awake when he realised he had said to Tosh to give them two hours. He got to his feet, tested his legs to make sure they were working and then stood.

Then he spied the note on the desk in Jack's scrawl. "Report in from Police. 999 calls made, thefts, fighting, White Hart Pub, James Street. Witnesses report what sounds like a blowfish. Going to investigate. Be back soon"

"Shit!" he swore loudly, dragged his clothes on and went down to take a look at the monitors. He located the SUV with no difficulty, it was in the garage, just pulling in. Moments later the door alarm went off and they tumbled in, looking exhausted.

"So whose idea was it to leave me behind?"

They stopped dead, hearing the threat level in his voice.

"That would be me" Jack said "You passed out"

"And you didn't tell me?" Owen said.

Ianto held Jack's gaze, eyes narrowed, then he chuckled. It was Jack's turn to narrow his eyes, his expression uncertain. "You're not mad, now I'm worried"

"Good" he said gently and asked "Did it go well?"

"yes, the thing's dead though, crashed a car and blew itself up"

"Ran into a tree, very messy" Owen said "still, nice neat ending, turning itself into sushi like that. Saved us a problem"

"OK, good work, I'll expect the usual reports on my desk tomorrow" Ianto said, re-establishing command.

"You feeling OK?" Jack asked, tentatively.

"Yes, fine. Jack, I need a word, now" and he went back up to his office.

"Sir" Jack said, coming to smart attention in front of the desk.

"Drop the 'Sir', I thought I told you about that"

"Sorry, yes, you did"

"Don't make decisions for me Jack, you said you wouldn't usurp my leadership and you neatly make a choice on my behalf to leave me here when we distinctly had a problem. What were you thinking of?"

"I was not making a choice for you" he said gently "I was trying to look after you"

"Jack…"

"Ianto, please, just hear me out"

Ianto sighed and nodded "go ahead"

"I can't help it if I care about you but I made my decision based on your competency to undertake the mission and you were far from competent when that call came in. Your hands were trembling, you said yourself you couldn't hold a gun never mind fire one. That cathartic episode this morning, my death last night, staying up most of last night with me, then our…exercise" he shrugged "I think I made a bad call there, I should have waited"

"Jack, I enjoyed it. I needed it. Hells Bells, I needed something!" he muttered.

"But not right then. Look, I made the decision, I admit that, but it was based on logical choice after an assessment of your physical condition"

"I'm sure Owen will be pleased to hear you think you know more about it than he does. Why didn't you ask him?"

"Because I could see it with my own eyes, why did I need Owen to tell me you were exhausted? If I'd woken you, can you honestly say you would have been able to carry out your duty in the field without compromising the situation?"

"That's not the point. The point is, you made the choice without consulting anyone"

Jack was angry now "You said you trusted me. Well put your goddamned money where your mouth is and do it then, trust my judgement for once! You were not fit to go out and you don't want to admit it. Well, its about time you asked yourself how much you do trust me then. I make decisions in the field every day, without consulting anyone. If you really do trust me with your life, then you need to ask yourself what you feel I'm qualified to make a decision about!" he turned on his heel and left, expecting any moment to be called back, to be called to account for leaving before he was dismissed, but non came.

He left the hub, taking a walk on the wharf side in the afternoon breeze. Only this morning he had lost himself in glorious lovemaking with the man he had just fought with…he stared at the lapping water and frowned. In less than 24 hours he had died in his arms, wakened in his bed, slept with him, held him in his arms as he wept, comforted him, made passionate love to him, and now fought with him. A whole lifetime of experiences in one day. He sighed, gustily, admitting that maybe he should have consulted Owen, covered his back. He knew he was right, he had made the decision for all the right reasons, just done it totally wrong for a man who was used to playing by the book, keeping to the rules. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. He needed to apologise and soon. He wanted Ianto again, needed him, needed his smile, not his wrath.

"Coffee?" said the voice at his elbow. He whirled. Ianto stood there, holding two mugs with steam curling off them. He passed one to Jack who took it gratefully if a little bemused. "Truce?" Ianto offered.

"Why?"

"You were right, I was wrong. How's that sound?"

"And you think this because…?"

"You made a judgement call and I need to respect that"

"OK" he sipped the coffee, even better than his own "oh that's good" he murmured.

"I believe that's my line" Ianto said, eliciting a laugh.

"I'm sorry" Jack said sincerely "I should have consulted Owen"

"No, you shouldn't. I should stop being paranoid" he admitted "I was very tired and I agree, I probably wasn't fit for duty. I'll overlook the fact that we were technically on duty and probably shouldn't have…" he paused "…fraternised, but I _do_ trust you. You make judgement calls every day, I just find it hard to allow you free rein to do that. You're a hard man to live up to Harkness. I cannot compete, with any of it, your charm, your charisma, your…" he sighed again "your anything"

"What?" Jack was surprised "I read your file. I know what you did. Damn it, I can't die. Anything I risk is tinged with that knowledge. When you know nothing can touch you, you tend not to worry any more. You don't mind taking risks, hell, it isn't even courage anymore. You, you had everything to lose and yet you did it anyway, you fought back. There's the true bravery, the honest courage. Don't underestimate yourself. You're worth more than me any day"

"Didn't do much good. Most of them died"

"But 27 didn't, you didn't! The world was saved again, end of story. You've nothing to be ashamed of Ianto Jones, nothing at all"

They exchanged a look which spoke volumes and then Jones became brisk "Back to work then, the rift doesn't wait" and he turned on his heel and went back inside. Thoughtfully, Jack followed, wondering where they would go from here.

**So that's it, hope you liked it all. If anyone wants more, I'll try writing more but it feels finished somehow. Still, you never know. If inspiration hits…**

**Thanks for all the positive reviews so far.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here.**

**Warning: Explicit, MA for adult theme. Jack/Ianto Slash/swearing.**

**You didn't promise me anything…**

"Jack, a word?" Ianto looked down at Jack where he sat at his workstation trying to finish his report on the last mission they had come back from. Glad of an excuse to leave it for a while he fairly jumped up and took the stairs two at a time again.

"Sir?"

"Warned you about that Jack" Ianto murmured "Although I have to admit, it sounds kind of…submissive" he grinned "sexy"

Jack raised an eyebrow "Didn't know you were into domination?"

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Jack" he said, the blue eyes serious.

"What did you want to see me for S…Ianto" he corrected quickly.

"How are your reports coming?"

"Nearly done"

"Good"

"Will you need to work late?"

"Shouldn't think so, why?"

"Oh just an idea I had…"

Jack waited to be enlightened.

"I fancied to get some practice in the shooting range, you want to join me? UNIT sent a couple of new weapons over, they want us to test them out. How about it?"

"Wouldn't be what was in that large crate that arrived a couple of days ago?"

"Yup, that's the one. I would appreciate your input and criticism as an experienced Torchwood operative" he looked quite serious anyway.

"Fine, I'll go finish and see you in…" he glanced at his watch "…a half hour?"

"Fine, I'll let the others go home. I think you and I can evaluate these things between us"

Half and hour later saw Jack printing his report just as the others were leaving.

"Bye Jack" Owen said "Take care, you'll be all alone with him soon and there'll be no one left to save you"

Gwen giggled "I don't think he's interested in being saved exactly…" she said as Tosh swatted Owen's arm.

"Don't be awful!" she said and pushed him out the door "Bye Jack" she called, happily.

Jack merely grinned and dutifully went upstairs to deliver his report and see if the boss was ready for the weapon tests. Ianto received the reports gracefully and thanked him "Good job Jack, the guns are down there already, let's go" and he lead the way out and down to their subterranean shooting range. He had removed his jacket and tie but kept his waistcoat on, unbuttoned his shirt neck and rolled the sleeves up. Obviously ready for action, Jack thought.

The large crate did indeed contain two large rifles, prototype laser weapons in fact.

"These are UNIT's babies, so we'd better give them a professional critique if we want to keep them" Ianto hefted one and said "Hmm, not bad, they're lighter than they look"

Jack similarly picked one up and was surprised by the weight. He raised it to his shoulder and aimed "I presume they're charged and ready?" he asked as he lowered it and examined the barrel.

Ianto moved a lever on the side of his own gun and raised it to his shoulder. Something about his stance made Jack's mouth water. There was a professional way he handled the weapon that gave him an air of experience, of confident maturity beyond his years. Ear defenders on, he pulled the trigger. A burst of energy shot out and annihilated the head on one of the targets. Both men paused to admire the result, glancing at each other with a similar expression of appreciation.

"That was…impressive" Ianto commented and Jack raised the gun to his shoulder.

"My turn" he said and loosed off a burst. The weapon spat short bursts of energy up the range, removing two heads and severely crippling a fourth target. There was a high pitched wine like a camera flash recharging.

"Apparently they're solar charged. They maintain the charge through the daylight, storing any excess in an intelligent computerised internal hard drive for night usage" Ianto was reading from the manual. "They can be plugged into a power output to charge up if sunlight is short supply"

"OK, so how long does the battery last? And how far is a single burst supposed to travel before it loses force?"

"Doesn't say, oh here, battery life is eight hours fully charged. Can charge from a vehicle as well. That's useful. Here's the range, 200 metres, but its only an estimate"

Jack's finger depressed the trigger, holding it down. The shots illuminated the range as they went, flying past everything and on down the tunnel. They hit the blocked end and exploded, showering debris and shaking the walls. "Hell" he swore, as a wave of dust swept back towards them. "This tunnel is at least 400 metres long"

"So if we miss, we'd better be careful" Ianto said into the silence which followed "I think these need a secure field test on distance, don't you? We can't have Mrs Evan's front window exploding in Splott if we miss a weevil in Barry, can we? Come to that, we can't risk Mrs Evans exploding either"

"And UNIT trusts us with these?" Jack's voice was a little incredulous.

Ianto laughed and spared a glance at him. Jack was standing in an aiming position, gun tucked into his shoulder. It sent a shiver down Ianto's back to watch him. The gun was almost an extension of his arm, comfortable and familiar, his stance sure, feet planted firmly on the ground. "So, now we're here" Ianto said, stepping up to stand behind the man, "Shall we make use of our time alone?" Jack didn't lower the weapon, just continued staring along the barrel, "As I said Sir, I want to go anywhere you go"

"Is that so?"

"Yes Sir" Jack murmured "Just awaiting your orders Sir"

"Right, Soldier" he said quietly "Put the gun down"

Jack stood down and placed the gun back in the crate. When he stood up, he came smartly to attention, shoulders back, chin up, then he saluted. Ianto wasn't sure what to do at first, Jack was giving him the lead but neatly directing the situation again. He walked round him, as if inspecting. "At ease" he said gently and Jack's stance relaxed, feet apart, arms behind his back. Ianto began to enjoy himself. Jack was, for now, awaiting orders, his orders "I really need to get hold of a UNIT cap for you to wear" he sighed "It would definitely suit you…"

"Not sure that red is my colour Sir" he replied and Ianto laughed.

"Well then, an RAF cap maybe"

"Oh, I can oblige there" he said "Kept my Group Captain's hat"

"Uh-uh, rank's too high, you're my subordinate remember?"

"You can wear the hat" Jack offered "After all, you are the one in charge. I'll wear a cap"

"Let's go back to my office" Ianto suggested huskily. Jack chuckled and followed him, carrying the crate back to the weapon's locker.

As Jack came back into the office, Ianto glanced at his note pad on his desk and swore "Damn it, I forgot! I'm late!"

"For a very important date?" Jack quipped "have I got competition?" but Ianto grabbed his coat and planted a clumsy kiss on Jack's mouth

"She'll kill me. I told my sister I'd go for dinner tonight and its nearly 6 o'clock. Jack, I'm sorry, but I've already put her off twice. Look I…I really _am_ sorry, right?"

Jack smiled and rolled his eyes "Go" he said "I'll keep. I wouldn't want to be the cause of your demise"

"Damn, I'm sorry Jack" He paused at the door "See you tomorrow?"

"You know you will" and he smiled "Get gone, Ianto. Don't keep family waiting"

He watched as the man left at a run, disappearing through the door. The gate rolled shut behind him and Jack retreated to his room, little more than a cell really, a bed and little else. He sighed, wondering what to do. He didn't really need sleep, although he could sleep, just didn't require it. Clear some paperwork maybe, maybe clean the autopsy room before Owen came in and messed it up again? He decided the kitchen could do with a clean out. The coffee stains were building up again. He felt somewhat frustrated but he'd survive. He couldn't make Ianto feel guilty about it. The man hadn't promised him anything after all.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Tosh and Owen were subdued the following day. It turned out he had taken her for a drink and then ended up sleeping on her sofa. She had dragged him away from a fight and taken him home with her. They had grown closer over the last couple of weeks, although they were not, as far as Jack knew, sleeping together yet. He had purposefully kept out of their relationship, having given his word to Tosh that he wouldn't say anything. The trouble was that Owen "variety-is-the-spice-of-life" Harper wanted his freedom. Tosh wanted hearts and flowers and romance and commitment. Jack, with his 51st century up-bringing, hated both morals and labels. People in this century let their insecurities get in the way of living.

Owen couldn't even summon up the energy to insult him. Tosh just looked tired. Ianto was early, as usual, and Gwen was last, smiling and cheerful, settling to her work at her station without comment or complaint. Once they were all in, Jack went to get them all coffee, as usual.

"How was the dinner?" he asked as he placed the mug on Ianto's desk.

"Dinner? Oh, fine. Got trounced at scrabble by my nephews though. Uncle Ianto is out of practice"

"Missed you last night" Jack said quietly "_Uncle_ Ianto"

He laughed "Thought things looked too clean. Couldn't sleep?"

Jack sighed "I don't sleep"

"Not needing to doesn't mean you shouldn't" Ianto smiled "Look, I'm sorry things didn't go according to plan last night. How can I make it up to you?"

Jack shook his head "You don't need to. You've never promised me anything"

"Look Jack, about that, I…"

"POLICE REPORT COMING IN!" Gwen yelled.

"Fuck it!" he swore "Her timing stinks!"

"Let's go" Jack said and Ianto followed him out of the room.

"So what is it this time?" Ianto asked as he and Jack met the others by Tosh's workstation.

"There's a disturbance in a night club across town, The Lamia Bar, reports are coming in from the staff saying one of their people has gone berserk. He's tearing up the place with 'superhuman strength'. The police are on their way"

"Ok, let's go check it out" and Ianto lead the way.

The Lamia Bar was a Goth place about a half mile away, up a dingy-looking alley way. The neon sign above what passed for a door was unlit, the door locked. In the morning light the place looked run down and tatty. The team could hear the noises from the bar all the way outside, breaking glass and splintering wood, screams and running feet. The sirens of the police cars arriving drowned out the din and suddenly the door rattled, then flew open as two terrified members of staff tumbled out and tried to run. Ianto and Owen grabbed one as the other, a girl, fled into the arms of the waiting policemen.

"Dddon't gggo in there" the young man stuttered, straining to get away "he's gone nuts…"

"Who has?" Jack asked

"Matt Blakely, one of the bouncers, he's ripping the place to shreds…oh god, Gary!"

"Who's Gary?"

"The Manager…he was, until Matt tore his head half off…" he screamed as a feral growl sounded down the corridor, struggled in their arms. Jack shook him roughly.

"Why did he do this, do you know?" he demanded, trying to get some sense from the man. He just looked at him, wild eyed and panicking "he just…flipped…he was playing with this…thing, his girl had given him it, like a shiny disc thing, with lights on, and he just…flipped! Screamed and went mad, ripped a mirror off the wall then grabbed Gary when he tried to talk to 'im"

"So what do you think? Alien tech or is he just nuts?" Owen speculated.

"Probably just nuts but we'd better be safe than sorry" Jack said, with a shrug.

"OK, then let's go" and Ianto lead the way.

The corridor was dark and painted blood red which didn't help. The room at the end opened out into the bar and dance area decorated with chandeliers and hanging red velvet drapery. "At any other time" Ianto murmured "this might be my favourite colour scheme" Splintered wood and broken glass, spilled drinks and broken bottles littered the floor. The bar was a broken wreck, smashed as if with a sledge hammer. Two bodies, a man and a woman, lay lifeless in the middle of the wreckage, blood pooled beneath the man. "That'll be Gary then" Owen muttered, reaching to check for the non-existant pulse.

Ianto motioned Jack and Owen to move around the edge of the room to the left, while he, Gwen and Tosh moved around it to the right. All their guns were drawn and their ears straining. Scuffling and a sudden scream from overhead made them realise there was an upstairs bar, reached by a staircase to either side of the main room. Debris, presumably from the bar upstairs, suddenly came flying over the balcony rail and everyone ducked instinctively. They took their chance and ran, Jack and Owen up one set of stairs, Ianto and the girls up the other. A tall, heavily muscled man stood in the centre of the floor, a lump hammer in one hand, the limp form of a blond-haired girl, in the other. As they watched, he dropped her and advanced on a group of terrified employees who had managed to huddle themselves into a far corner. Not far enough as it turned out.

Without pausing, Jack and Ianto both fired, the bullets striking the man's back. He reeled, but kept on going. Jack sprang over the dead girl, drawing his tazer. The man jerked and spasmed as the electric charge went through him and he dropped, groaning, onto the floor. Quickly, Jack frisked him, finding the metal disc in a pocket of his trousers. "Got it, whatever it is" he declared. As soon as he removed it, the man on the floor sighed and released his last breath.

The disc was pulsing, blue lights flashing round its rim. A wave of aggression suddenly rippled through him, removing conscious thought. He screamed, a primal animal urge to tear his enemies apart. His vision clouded, his only desire was to rend and tear and kill…He didn't see the shocked looks of the others as he turned on them, raising the gun. There was a loud bang and the disc dropped from Jack's nerveless fingers. A look of surprise filled his eyes as he saw the blood flowering on his shirt front. Then he dropped forward, dead before he hit the floor.

Ianto stood there, grim faced, gun still held on the prostrate form. "Do not touch that thing!" he ordered "Tosh, can it be deactivated?"

"I…I don't know…" she went forward to see. Moments later, she had used a pair of tweezers from her bag to press what looked like a centrally placed button and the lights went off. Gingerly, she picked it up with the tweezers and dropped it into a plastic bag.

"Owen, Gwen, let's clean up, get these people out of here" He holstered his gun "Its over, you're safe now" he said as they began the process of removing the frightened and traumatised employees downstairs to begin the long task of retconning them all.

Tosh looked down at Jack and Ianto rolled him onto his back. "We'd better get him home" he said.

* * * * * * * * * *

A harsh gasp heralded his return to life. There was a sigh of relief and Jack looked up into Ianto's face again and frowned "You shot me!" he said indignantly "What the hell happened?"

"The disc, you touched the disc" Ianto said "We think it triggers a psychotic rage of some kind" he suggested "I got to you before you got to us" He helped Jack to his feet from the autopsy trolley.

"I'm beginning to think this is becoming a habit" Jack said ruefully.

Ianto smiled "S'ok, you'll probably have to shoot me next time"

Jack paused as Ianto looked at him with a considering expression "What?" he asked.

Ianto's expression turned hard "If there comes a time" he said firmly "when something happens to me and I try to kill people, then I trust you'll do what's necessary"

"What? Kill you, you mean?"

"Yes. Exactly that" he looked away "I need to know that our…" he paused "Look, if we have a relationship, it could compromise your actions if the necessity ever arises. I need to know where I stand"

Jack lowered his eyes "Horrible as it is to contemplate" he said gently "You have my word that, if the need arises, I won't hesitate" he sighed "I would do the same for Gwen or Owen or Tosh'" he laid a hand on Ianto's shoulder intending to reassure and his voice was gentle as he said "As far as I am concerned, I _can_ see what you're saying"

"You can?" Ianto was confused, unaware that he was suggesting anything at all.

"I guess its better that we don't have a relationship. Too dangerous" he murmured "We get what we both need from each other, let's leave it at that, casual"

Ianto paused, and Jack did not see his expression as he replied "OK, good to know where we stand" and he walked off, his quick exit masking the sudden, unwelcome tears. He had known as much, in his heart of hearts, that anything he and Jack had would probably be superficial, but he couldn't help but hope. Hope was very easily dashed and, he had to admit, hurt like hell. He would heal, but it might take time.

* * * * * * * * * *

If Ianto was subdued the rest of that week, Jack put it down to the stress of the job. Tosh couldn't find out where the disc had come from, other than the dead man's girlfriend had found it on a flea market stall in Barry. It was made of some unidentifiable alloy of no known origin. Gwen interviewed her and she had been able to tell them only that the man who sold it had said it was a game of some kind, one of those reaction games which flashed a series of lights then you had to copy the pattern as fast as you could to 'disarm' it and win. Ianto forbade further tests, citing that it was just too dangerous and had obviously taken over the person touching it far too easily. Tosh argued they might touch it with a probe and not be affected, after all she had switched it off in that way, but Ianto was having non of it. The only thing she managed to do was to scan it and record the energy signature for the future.

They consigned the Night Club episode to history and the archives with a "Do Not Use" seal on the box containing the bronze cube, they continued to hunt weevils and even rescued a small boy from being savaged by a small and aggressive dog-like creature that dropped through the rift into a play park. Apart from the fact that the thing had six legs, it might have passed for an ordinary dog. Ianto made no advances to Jack and Jack made no moves on Ianto. Tosh knew there was something holding them both back but she wasn't sure what. Neither Gwen nor Owen appeared concerned.

"Jack, we're going for a drink after work, you coming?" Tosh asked.

"No, got some work to finish up here, you go"

"Ianto, you coming?"

He paused, then smiled "yes, OK. Just one mind. Got an early start tomorrow"

"You've got an early start every day!" Owen complained "Don't you ever lie in?"

Ianto smiled "Its over rated, wallowing in bed, nowhere to go, nothing to do…"

Gwen laughed and Tosh giggled "Its good to tell you don't live with anyone. The day I get like that about a lie in is when Rhys will divorce me"

"Gwen, you're not even married yet?" Tosh elbowed her in the ribs.

"So? I'll be married and old and grey before I feel like that about a lie in!"

They left through the gate, Owen running to catch them, sketching a wave to him as it rolled shut in front of him.

"That's that then" Jack muttered and went to make himself a coffee. He knew Ianto was right, that they should probably not make their relationship anything more than the occasional shag when they felt like it. It was too dangerous. He wasn't even sure that they should be, what had Ianto called it, _fraternising_? It was probably against Torchwood Policy or something. He went down to the archives and picked up a stack of reports, proceeding to file them alphabetically. By the time hunger pangs made him stop and go order pizza, it was nearly 10pm.

The alarm to say there was a report in made a din just as he was answering the door to the pizza delivery boy. He thrust a £20 note at him and said "keep the change" and shut the door, running back down into the Hub and dumping the pizza on the table by the couch. Police reports were coming in of a disturbance in the centre of the town. He quickly paged everybody with the location and a brief description "Superhuman strength again" and left the Hub at a run.

The SUV halted as close to the pub as Jack could get, which in the grand scheme of things wasn't as close as he would have liked. He had picked Ianto and Tosh up on the way, Gwen's car arriving bearing her and Owen moments later. The pub was surrounded with scattered groups of patrons held back behind black and yellow 'do not cross' tapes, several police cars and police officers, one of which proved to be Andy Davidson.

"You out for a social or does this, by any stretch of the imagination, concern Torchwood then?"

Jack glanced at him and grinned "it does if somebody is breaking up a bar with, and I quote, "superhuman strength"?"

"Some guy had too much I reckon. Probably high on crystal meth or something, didn't you know Cardiff is the drugs capital of Wales?" He straightened his protective vest and glanced at Gwen "What did I tell you? CSI Cardiff…"

"Measuring the velocity of a kebab, yes, I know" Gwen looked at the pub, broken glass from the windows littering the kerb, screaming and swearing coming from inside "Apart from our man, is anybody still in there?"

"Not as far as we know"

"What's his name?"

"Yian Davis, one of his drinking buddies told us" Andy frowned "Swore blind he wasn't on anything but you know what they're like, this lot. They wouldn't tell us if he was on iron tablets"

"Let's go" Ianto said, drawing his gun "Gwen, Owen, round the back, Jack, with me" he looked at Tosh "Try scanning for anything from here if you can, let us know if it looks like last time"

"Sure" she turned to the on-board computer and began punching keys as Gwen and Owen, closely followed by Andy, disappeared around the other side of the building.

Ianto approached the door which was conveniently hanging off its hinges.

"Don't have to open it anyway" he commented wryly and ducked as a beer glass flew through the air in front of him "Missed" he murmured and Jack smothered a laugh. "Well, we know where he is" he said and moved quietly through the inner door and peered round the corner. Focussed on wrecking the bar area was a man of average height, nondescript features in an ordinary face, now contorted with rage, but otherwise a forgettable kind of person. His clothes were bland and ordinary too, beige trousers and cream shirt with a short brown anorak to complete the geek-like ensemble.

"Doesn't look like Mr Universe does he?" Ianto whispered as they watched the man heft a cast iron table and throw it through the window with apparent ease. He vented his anger on someone's discarded coat, ripping it in two and throwing the pieces aside. He hurled a few glasses through the window and shrieks came from people outside who suddenly realised they were probably far too close.

Tosh's disembodied voice came through their ear pieces "I'm detecting a signature like the last one we found" she paused "He has it on him I think, he's to the right of the main door at the front"

"That's him then" Ianto suggested "What the hell are these things, and, more to the point, where are they coming from?"

Jack nodded "We need him alive so we can ask him, so how do you want this to go down?"

"We know we can't reason with him but we need him alive, if at all possible. I'm not up for killing him anyway but the last one wasn't exactly easy. Stun gun?"

"Like last time?" Jack murmured "yes"

"On three then" and Ianto counted down with his fingers. On three, he stepped smartly out of hiding and waved, saying in a loud voice "Mr Davis, I'm Ianto Jones, Torchwood, we need your help" the man swung round crazily, weaving on his feet, shouted an obscenity and charged. Jack threw himself into a dive and caught him round the waist, slamming him to the ground, rolling to his feet. He felt a momentary anger rip through him and then it was gone. Seconds later, Jack's taser ripped 50000 volts through Davis' body and the man convulsed. Angered, he swung towards Jack and lashed out. Jack ducked, surprised but not subdued, pirouetted and came up behind him, slamming another charge into the crazed man. He dropped, like a stone, only after the third charge had ripped through him, leaving both Jack and Ianto breathing hard from their efforts to keep a distance. Taking his opportunity, Ianto dashed across and reached to immobilise Davis' wrists with a zip tie.

Several disastrous things suddenly came together at once. Whatever the discs were, it seemed that the aggression wasn't limited just to the person who possessed them. Jack had felt the wave of anger go through him as his body slammed into Davis, vanishing as his natural momentum had broken the contact as he rolled away. The echo of it was brutal. As he stepped away from delivering the charge that toppled Davis, Jack saw Ianto dash over and lean down to take advantage of the man's incapacity to immobilise him with the ties. Jack began his move to stop him, but Gwen and Owen arrived, Andy behind them, bursting into the room, their distraction enough to divert his action. Ianto grabbed Davis' wrists and it was all suddenly too late. The contact he made was enough. His face contorted, he threw back his head and screamed, the raw aggression bursting out of him. Time seemed to slow down. Jack brought the taser up, but nothing happened when he pulled the trigger. He had needed too much of its energy to drop Davis. Dropping the taser, Jack dragged his gun from its holster. Seconds lengthened impossibly as Ianto brought his own gun up, training it in Owen's direction, his expression ugly. Jack saw Owen shove Gwen out of the way as Ianto fired. The shot sounded terribly loud in the enclosed space. A second later, without hesitation, Jack shot him.

**to be continued...****  
Cue music, end credits, spoiler for next episode, etc.... OK, maybe a bit predictable, but what the hell, this is fun! And I'm not RTD…(Thank God!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here.**

**Warning: MA for later chapters and swearing. Possible (but vague) spoiler for Dead Line radio play (altered though).  
**

**Will Ianto survive? Or are we looking at Episode 4 played out differently? Keep reading, I'm not RTD, honest, you think I'm that mean?**

Shock rooted them all to the spot. Andy just stood immobile, eyes wide. Gwen and Owen, neither of them hurt, helped each other up. Coming out of his trance and speedily assessing the situation, Andy radioed that things were under control, nobody panic and would they please send for an ambulance. Somebody had been shot. He was careful to leave out the details. This was Torchwood after all, the details were no one's business but their own. Davis groaned and Jack warned "Nobody touch him! Nobody touch either of them! Tosh, get in here!" Moments later Tosh appeared at the door, scanner in hand, her face registering total disbelief and shock at the scene in front of her eyes. "Tosh, for God's sake, tell me you can pinpoint where this thing is on him!" she blinked and nodded, averting her eyes from Ianto who lay face down over Davis body, blood soaking into the floor beneath him. Bringing the scanner up she passed it across Davis body.

"Its in his pocket, his trousers" she said "right hand side"

"Fuck!" Owen swore "How the hell do we get it off him!"

Jack drew a knife out from its boot sheath and gingerly sliced at the material, ripping the pocket open. The disc dropped out surprisingly easily and rolled across the floor. Tosh pounced, this time armed with a long thin dental probe. She disarmed the thing and bagged it and suddenly the air of aggression vanished as if it had never been there. Gwen made herself busy restraining Davis with Andy's help while Owen and Jack were at Ianto's side and turning him over carefully.

"Christ Jack!" Owen swore "What the hell happened?"

"That thing affected him" Jack said bluntly as Owen tugged Ianto's clothes away so he could see the damage "They seem to be able to transfer aggression just by touching the person who has one. I couldn't stop him Owen, I…" Owen looked up, hands covered in Ianto's blood "Jack, stop it, you did what you had to! He would have killed us. Now put your hand there and keep up the pressure"

Ianto's eyes slid open, focussed on the men attending him.

"Ianto?" Jack willed him to be OK, not to die in his arms "God, I'm sorry!"

"Good job you've got lousy aim" he murmured, then "S'OK Jack, you did good"

Owen had inspected the damage "We need to get him to hospital, now" he said "I can't deal with this"

"Ambulance is already on its way" Andy reassured as the noise of a siren reached their ears.

* * * * * * * *

Jack watched anxiously as the paramedics loaded the stretcher into the ambulance.

"Gwen, can you…?"

"Give me the keys to the SUV Sweetheart, Tosh and I can manage" she sounded more confident than she felt but she was damned if would let it show. Jack had enough to worry about. "I'm sure Andy can help, can't you love?" and Andy nodded, happy for the moment to be drafted in to Torchwood, albeit on a temporary basis.

"Thanks…"

"Go on, move!" she said, giving him a push "You did what you had to do Jack" she added. He nodded, then bounded into the back of the ambulance after Owen. Gwen watched it out of sight, blue lights flashing and sirens blaring. Tosh came up beside her "Will he be alright?"

"Wish I knew" she said, then grabbed Andy by the arm and dragged him inside to get Davis out of the pub and into the SUV.

Neither Gwen nor Tosh felt like going home. With Davis in a cell and the object, exactly the same as the previous one, securely locked away, there was nothing more to accomplish, but they needed each other's company. Andy was with them, although his attention was all on his surroundings. He made indifferent coffee and they sat in the boardroom, talking and trying to pass the hours by not voicing their fears. When the phone rang they all jumped.

"Answer it?" Tosh hissed.

"No, you" Gwen looked scared.

"Gwen!"

"Oh, for God's sake" Andy said and grabbed the phone "Hello?" there was a pause and then "Gwen asked me for help, or have you forgotten?" he shook his head "Yes, she's here" and he held out the phone towards her "Its Jack" he said and she hesitated before taking it from his outstretched hand.

"Hello?" she said, apprehensively. Anxious seconds passed before she said "Oh, thank God!" and then, minutes later "OK, keep in touch" she put the phone down.

"Well?" Tosh almost shrieked.

"He's out of theatre and they managed to repair the damage. Apparently Owen insisted on joining the surgical team. Torchwood strikes again" she said "He says Ianto is now in the ICU and still unconscious. Owen's knackered so Jack's sent him home and Jack's won't leave Ianto" she sighed "So, nothing we can do until tomorrow"

"I've news for you" Andy said, glancing at his watch "It already is tomorrow so we better get you home. Come on, I'll drive you"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jack didn't know how long he sat there, listening to the beeping machines monitoring Ianto's heart rate, brain activity and blood pressure. He sat silently as the nurses changed shift. They came and went, doing their checks silently and thoroughly. Someone made him a cup of tea. They were kind and practical and discreet. Jack just sat there, watching.

"Are you related?" somebody asked. Jack looked into the concerned brown eyes of a blue uniformed Sister and shook his head "friend?" she asked.

"Colleague" he said, his voice tightly controlled.

"You know" she said gently "if you want to talk to him, he might hear you. Hearing is the last thing to go and people who are unconscious can still hear you sometimes. Don't feel embarrassed" she said with an encouraging smile. Jack said nothing, just looked at Ianto lying there, chest rising and falling gently.

"I don't know what to say" he admitted.

She smiled "I hope you don't mind me asking but…" she paused "he's more than just a colleague, isn't he?"

Jack sighed, trying to hold back tears. He nodded, tight-lipped.

"Thought so" she said sagely "why don't you move closer and hold his hand?" she suggested. She helped him move his chair closer and then he tentatively took hold of the surprisingly warm fingers. It nearly undid him. He looked round but she had vanished, retreating discreetly back to the nurses' station down the corridor.

"I…I'm so sorry" he said softly, his voice sounding bereft and strange to his own ears "Oh Ianto, this isn't right…I should have told you…" his vision blurred, he couldn't stop the tears "I don't know if you can really hear me, I don't know if this is just something they tell us to do to make us feel better. Something to give us purpose, so we're not just waiting, waiting for the miracle to happen, for the science to work..." he glanced at the beeping trace of the heart line on the nearby screen "This must have been the longest I've ever looked at you and not seen you smile, you know that? Don't think you don't matter to me, don't think you're a blip in time as far as I'm concerned, you're not, you never will be" he screwed his eyes shut "Its not enough Ianto, however long we have it'll never be enough" he got up, leaned forwards and kissed Ianto's forehead gently "I love you" he said, honestly "I'm sorry if I'm complicating your world, I'm sorry if this gets in the way, but I do, can't help it" he sat back down "I did as I promised, I didn't let our relationship get in the way of doing what was necessary but…" he lost control, hard wracking sobs that shook him to the core. Suddenly he was enveloped in a pair of strong arms and held, firmly, until the tumult passed.

"Its alright, you're not alone" the Sister said soothingly, comfortingly rubbing his back "Now come on, let's leave him in peace and get you tidied up" and she pulled him to his feet and lead him out. It was no mean feat, manhandling 6 feet of solidly built male when you only happen to reach five foot four inches, but experience won out and she guided him into her office and sat him down with a mug of sweet tea in his hands. It reminded him of the blitz – tea and sympathy, the pragmatism of the nurses who daily saw things nobody should have to see, yet they carried on, giving stoic support day in, day out.

"Now Mr…?"

"Harkness, Jack" he said, trying to smile.

"Jack" she said, pushing a box of tissues across the desk towards him "I'm Jo, Sister Bentley. I just want you to know, while we can't promise anything, there's every indication he's going to be alright. His vital signs are good. He'll wake up when he's ready" she looked at him, assessing "you must sleep you know, you'll be no good to him if you drop from exhaustion"

"I don't need much…a couple of hours maybe"

"Lucky you" she said with a smile "but you need those two hours Jack, and you need them soon. Look at you, you look as if you've not slept for a week"

"I can't leave him…"

"Jack…"

"NO!" he surprised himself with the vehemence of his words "sorry" he added, contrite "I'm just…worried"

"Does he know?" she asked "Does he know how you feel?"

"Some, not all"

"I see. Well, wait until he wakes, then you can go get your rest" she smiled, her eyes kind.

He got back to Ianto's room, sat down, reached out again and curled his fingers round Ianto's. The machines beeped, the nurses came again and checked everything, went away seemingly satisfied.

Jack sighed "I'm so sorry" he said again, his thumb tracing a pattern on the back of Ianto's hand "I should be where you are, not you. I can come back, you can't!" Jack squeezed the fingers, willing some response but non came. He laid his forehead on the bed, defeated "Come on Yan, please, don't leave me alone" he murmured.

"Not bloody likely" came the murmured response "I need to complete your training…your aim…is fucking terrible…"

Jack choked back a sob of relief and looked into the blue eyes. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Ianto's mouth.

"How are you?"

"I've been better" he murmured, as his eyes closed again.

"I'll tell the nurse…"

"Bugger the nurse" he said "Jack, no, don't interrupt…" he gathered breath, still sleepy from the anaesthetic, his concentration drifting "love you…"

"Love you too"

"I know. About that relationship?" his voice was slow, husky.

"What relationship?"

"Ours, you daft sod…"

"We don't have one" Jack's voice was flat.

"We need one"

"We do?"

"Life's too short" Ianto whispered, drowsily "too short…" Jack thought he had fallen asleep again but he opened his eyes and looked into Jack's "I'm glad I'm not just a blip in time for you" he smiled.

Too startled to respond, Jack watched as sleep overtook him again.

"Awake?" the Sister asked, coming in to the room to stand behind him.

"He was"

"Mr Jones?" she said, stepping to Ianto's side. His eyes opened reluctantly "How are you feeling?" she asked, as nurses do.

"Fine…" he murmured and drifted off again.

She looked at Jack with a smile "Time for you to go" she said firmly "He'll be like this for a while. He'll sleep the anaesthetic off for most of the day, so there's not much you can do for now" she patted his arm "Go home, get some sleep and come back later" she said "We'll phone you if there's any change, don't worry"

Jack bent over and kissed Ianto on the lips gently. He mumbled something incoherent and smiled. Then Jack left quietly.

**Told you things would work out…no apologies for the blatant "Dead Line" reference (and if you've never heard the radio play, I recommend it), situations reversed of course. Reviews welcome... **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: If you recognise it, I probably don't own it, but I'm happy to play with it.**

**Rated M for swearing, etc. **

A little bit of angst and a happy ending…

Jack spent the rest of the week that Ianto was in hospital wracked with guilt. The fact that Ianto was alive was not due to Jack's shooting and he knew it. He had shot almost blindly, necessity winning over deliberate action. The bullet had gone in low, beneath Ianto's ribs, through soft tissue, missing vital organs by sheer luck. He knew he had not aimed. Had he hesitated and taken vital seconds to aim he knew he would have put Owen, Gwen and Andy in danger. That didn't make him feel any better. He went about like a wraith, barely saying anything, going down to the shooting range, losing himself in practice (which he didn't need).

They had two missions during the week, nothing more complicated than weevil hunts, but both times Jack had hunted them mercilessly. He started behaving recklessly. The simple truth was that he wanted oblivion. He wanted the exertion, the pain and the adrenaline of hunting, anything to blot out the feelings of guilt and remorse he was saturated with. He ended up blind drunk, something he rarely did. The others found him the following morning, sprawled across the sofa, unconscious. Owen took him down to the medical bay and gave him a good talking to but it didn't help. He sat there sullenly until Owen stopped his tirade and tried a different tack "Look" he snapped "when he comes home he's going to need someone to look after him 24/7 for the first few days, you know that?" Jack looked at him and he added "You'd be the best choice for that. He doesn't have anyone else. You're strong enough to carry him, lift him if the need arises. The girls aren't. Besides, you've seen him naked, it won't phase you" The comical look on Owen's face finally won through and Jack grinned. Then his face fell.

"You think he'll want me to? I'm the reason he's in this mess…"

"Bollocks! Yes, I do. He misses you Jack, you've not been to see him in three days. He's beginning to wonder what he's done wrong. He told me last night he was shit scared you'd had second thoughts, that you want to run away"

"No! I…can't…I just can't face him…"

"Why not? Do you love the man or don't you?" the question caught him off guard. Owen's usual cynicism was absent.

"Yes, I do. But I could have killed him Owen, I didn't shoot to miss, you know?"

"And I'm glad about that, actually. I'm still here and Gwen's here and Andy is too because you didn't miss. You did what you had to do and we're all bloody glad you did. He doesn't blame you either! OK, so its luck that he's still here" he shrugged "but that's why you shouldn't let this chance slip past you. You both need this Jack, for God's sake don't lose what you have because you're too bloody terrified of what _might_ happen. That's no way to live!" Owen stopped his diatribe, then added "I think you'd better get some rest. You'll still be over the limit to drive…"

"The police can't get me on that one!" Jack grumbled.

"Maybe not, but how many other poor sods might you take with you if you wrap the SUV round a tree? Stop being so bloody selfish and start thinking about somebody else for a change, instead of Jack fucking Harkness!" Jack frowned. He hadn't seen Owen so angry for a long time. "Not to mention that getting a new car would be bloody inconvenient. Now take off and go sleep, then get your arse down to the hospital tomorrow, he's due home in the morning" Owen seemed to deflate, as if the anger had been drained by the tirade. He patted Jack awkwardly on the shoulder "Don't be a prat Jack. Its obvious to a blind man you two are in love. Life's too short. Make the most of it" and if Jack was startled at the lack of acerbic comments, he said nothing.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Jack, I've got a possible source for these discs" Tosh was sitting at her terminal, scanning the data scrolling down the screens. "There was a rash of them in London about ten years ago. Torchwood 1 had a stash of them, found on street corners being sold as games. Apparently they're harmless unless you press a particular sequence of the lights then all hell breaks loose"

"So what's the possible source of the latest ones?" he groaned softly and rubbed his temples, trying to ease the banging headache. He had managed about three hours sleep but he was still feeling a little worse for wear and finding it difficult to concentrate.

"Well, Yian Davis could only tell us he got his on an internet auction but he kept the details on his account, which he gave us. These are the seller's details" and she brought up an account and showed him the name.

"timagent1364?" Gwen frowned.

Jack stared at the screen and whistled "Add an 'e' in the middle and waddaya get?" he asked, his voice wearied "time agent 1364. Fucking great!"

"So?"

"Gwen, Time Agent 1364 was someone I knew. He's using his old code, the idiot. Since the agency was disbanded, he must have gone rogue, unless he's working for someone else"

"Please, not _him_ again" Tosh groaned.

"No, thankfully, although you might prefer him before this is over. No, 1364 was a man called Jacob Hartford, and no, that wasn't his real name either. He always was an idiot, looks like he hasn't changed much"

"Why do you guys always have names beginning with J H?" Gwen asked "You telling me everyone with J H names might be a time agent?" she frowned "that could put a whole new aspect on Josh Hartnet…"

"Its secret" Jack smiled "Need to know basis only. Timelines Gwen, don't ask me"

"OK, OK, I can keep a secret"

"Good. Now, the question is, why is he here?"

"Not "is he here?" then?"

"No, he's here, I know he is. He's distributing, causing trouble. These things cause uncontrollable rage, Gwen, and they're infectious. Someone who is in possession of one can affect others. These are riot starting devices, aggression transmitters. You want to cause trouble? Use one of these. Terrorists would give their eye teeth for these. How much money can be made by selling these little beauties to the right person, eh? Imagine one of these in a football crowd or at an airport. Someone carrying one is like a human bomb" Jack looked at Tosh "Trace the details, find an address, then wake me up, I'm going to crash for another couple of hours. Doctor's orders" and he went off to his room.

The flat looked innocuous, a council flat in a block of anonymous identical dwellings. Rain was threatening as they stood outside the door and Tosh knocked. They had set the sting up quite quickly, buying one of the discs from the auction site that same evening and arranging to pick it up at the man's flat the following morning. After what seemed like an age, a voice demanded to know who she was "I'm just calling to collect the game I bought from you, my name is Sato, Tania Sato? I have the receipt…"

There was a series of clicks and the door swung open. A tall brown-haired man stood there, slightly dishevelled and wearing a grin "Well hello, nice to meet you. Yes, I have the game here Ms Sato, please come in" and he turned to go. Which was when Jack and Gwen burst past Tosh, coming to rest holding the man at gun point against the wall.

"What the hell! Who the hell are you?!" he spluttered, struggling against Jack's hold.

"Strip!" Jack ordered, not wasting words on introductions.

"Well, if that's what you're interested in…?" he began but Jack was having non of it. He backhanded the man across his face, rocking his head back, ignoring Gwen's murmured "Ow, Jack, take it easy…"

"Now strip! Or do I make you?" he growled.

"Who the hell are you?" he squeaked "You have no right…"

Jack brought his gun up and pressed it hard between the frightened man's eyes. "One more word and I'll dispense with the need to take you in alive. Now shut up and strip" Jack's eyes were flinty "I want to make sure you've no more of those discs on you" he stepped smartly back and levelled the gun "I _won't_ ask you again!"

The man began to take off his clothes and kept up a constant moaning about rights and police harassment until Gwen, seeing the look on Jack's face building up to another explosion, told him non too gently to be quiet, they were not police and they were about as far from adhering to prisoner rights as Jacob was from his own time. That shut him up.

"Who are you?" was all he ventured to ask, his voice almost a whisper, standing with hands on head and feet spayed, facing the fireplace.

"Torchwood" Jack said economically "Gwen, bag him and tag him" Jack looked at his watch "Damn it, I'm going to be late"

"What for?"

"I'm on taxi duty to fetch the boss home"

"Ring the hospital. We'll sort this" Gwen said "Tosh, get the restraints on and then we can ask our friend some questions" she looked at Jack and said "Go, we can deal with this"

Jack sighed and went outside, bringing up the number on his PDA and calling through to the ward. "Hello, yes, I'm supposed to be picking Mr Ianto Jones up this morning. I'm going to be late, could you tell him to wait and I'll be about an hour? You will? Thank you so much. Oh, Harkness. He knows I'm coming"

He stayed until they had transported Jacob back to the Hub and thrown him in a cell, then Jack roared off in the SUV to St Helen's Infirmary.

Ianto was sitting in the day room, his bag by his feet. He looked fragile, worn out. "Sorry I'm late. We were processing the guy responsible for the discs. Tosh got his details from the auction site where he was selling the things. He had another ten in his flat"

"Wonderful, good work Jack" he looked genuinely pleased "Everybody alright?" He accepted the arm Jack offered and Jack picked up his bag "Everybody is fine" he said reassuringly and off they went, moving slowly.

"Where've you been? You've not been to visit" Ianto said gently "I was worried"

"Thinking"

"Owen told me you've been having some difficulty…"

"Owen has a big mouth"

"Owen's heart is in the right place. I was…concerned you were having second thoughts about us"

Jack spun to face him and gripped him by the shoulders "Never. But I'm the reason you're here, I put you in here! Damn it Ianto, I nearly put you in a body bag! I…" Gentle fingers pressed against his lips to quiet him "Shh" Ianto said softly "Enough. You did what was right. You could have killed me but you didn't. I'm still here. So are Gwen, Owen and Andy because you acted properly. If I ever had any doubts about you Jack, I don't any more. So I am ordering you to stop hauling yourself over the coals about this"

"Next time, I might not miss" his voice was barely above a whisper.

"And I am telling you now" Ianto said firmly "I am going to make it my highest priority, the top of my list, to ensure that 'next time' never happens! I have no wish to spend a week in such a mess again"

"I'm sorry"

"Will you stop apologising!"

"But I hurt you Ianto, Its not something I ever want to do again"

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Contrary to the rumours, I'm not into BDSM. Well, not much anyway" Jack turned to stare at him and he laughed, then clutched his side "Ah, that might have been a mistake" an arm curled round him, supporting him as the pain eased off.

"You should have been in a wheelchair, at least to the door" Jack's voice was edged with concern.

Ianto shook his head "More fun this way" he leaned against Jack's body, feeling the warmth and strength of the man beside him.

"You good to go?"

Ianto righted himself and gripped Jack's arm, nodding "ready" and they went into the lift and down to the car park.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The flat was cold and empty. Ianto sat on the sofa while Jack went round putting the heating on and filling the coffee machine.

"Jack, can you stay here?" the question was tentative.

"Try stopping me" he said gently, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder "you need looking after. Owen said you'd need 24/7 care for a few days. I aim to provide it"

"Jack, about what I said…you know, when I was…after I woke up"

"Don't worry, I won't hold you to it, you know. You were kinda under the influence" he said with a grin but Ianto wasn't smiling "What?"

"I meant every word" he said "I _want_ that relationship Jack, with you, now. I want it all…I'm just not sure you do"

"I thought that was what you wanted, you know, no complicated relationships, nothing to get in the way?"

"I was scared that anything we had _would_ get in the way" he rubbed his side, where the bullet had gone through "but it didn't. I'm still here, even if more by good luck than good management. That's why we need this. You and me, together. Before it really is too late" he said gently "After all…your aim is bloody awful. You might do the job right next time"

"I thought there wasn't going to be a next time?" Jack said

Suddenly Ianto found himself engulfed in a hug, his mouth smothered with Jack's own, all speech and thought cut off. His legs went weak, which had nothing whatever to do with his injury. His heart thundered in his ears. Life couldn't get much sweeter than this, he thought, as Jack hoisted him easily into his arms and carried him the rest of the way to the bedroom. Jack proceeded to undress him, his warm hands stroking random bits of skin as they were revealed, more comforting than arousing. Arousal wasn't his aim, he knew Ianto was not yet physically capable of anything so strenuous. So he put him carefully between the covers, drawing the duvet up around his chest and pulling the curtains shut. The side light went on.

"Coffee" Jack said and went to the kitchen.

Ianto lay still, absorbing the feeling of being cared for. He listened to Jack pottering around and relaxed. He had not felt this way in too long a time.

As he busied himself in the small kitchen, Jack was aware that he had never been invited to Ianto's home before. Inside the small one-bedroom apartment, everything was typically Ianto. Neat, tidy, cared for. A soft burgundy leather sofa sat in front of a large flat-screen TV and entertainment centre, a clinically clean black laminate and steel kitchen area across the other side of the room separated by a breakfast bar. There were few actual 'things' on display, no ornaments, no little touches of humanity. A big state-of-the-art computer dominated a desk in front of the window, flanked by bookshelves packed with books and DVDs.

He made the coffee and took it back to the bedroom. Ianto was huddling into the duvet, looking cold.

"Do you have a hot water bottle?" Jack asked "You look as if you're heading for hypothermia"

"In the wardrobe"

Jack rummaged, found one, then went to fill it from the kettle. He tucked it under the covers at Ianto's feet and settled on the bed beside him, pulling him close to lie against him. Jack radiated warmth and Ianto was happy to let it soak into his skin.

"Feels better, thank you"

"So" Jack hunted for conversation "what made you accept this job then?" he wanted to know "Why come way out here? Not that I'm not happy you accepted or anything…"

"I'm Welsh" he said simply "this was, still is, my home" he said then added "Lisa" He caught Jack's puzzled look and smiled "She was always pushing me to put myself forward for jobs, for a post in research or IT. After she died, after they gave me a commendation, the leadership here came up. They asked me if I would like it and I remembered what Lisa had said, that there might come a day when there were no tomorrows and I should reach out and grab my opportunities with both hands, so…" he glanced at Jack "…here I am"

"She must have been special" he said.

"Mmm" Ianto murmured.

"You know, if you ever want to talk about her, I'll be happy to listen" Jack offered "Sometimes I want to talk about the people I knew, about Torchwood,…" he paused, sipped his drink and sighed appreciatively, adding "Trouble is, I want to tell people about them, remember them, but they won't be remembered, by anyone other than us. No one will remember their sacrifices, bar for us. No one will remember their hard work, their discoveries, bar us. Sometimes I wonder what will happen to me, how many Torchwood people am I going to outlive and bury? And I get scared. I have no idea how many people I am going to love and lose before this ends…and I remember all of them, it's like I can't forget"

"Does it matter?"

Jack frowned and cocked his head on one side "I'm not sure I gather…"

"Well, when somebody you know and love dies, its always hard. But that person is an individual, and when they die they cannot be replaced. So no matter how many people you lose it will always be different, every time, because they were unique. Whether you love one or several, each death will deal you its own individual pain. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter how many you love really. Because each one is different makes it no better and no worse each time it happens. How much you love someone is the thing that determines the level of pain, but once you've truly loved, how can you deny yourself that feeling? It makes life worthwhile…"

"You believe that?"

"I wouldn't have said it otherwise. As you said once "love in any form always beats the dark". I cannot see why life would be worth living if love wasn't a part of it" he took a sip of coffee and smiled "There's another angle to it though"

"Which is?"

"The other person in the equation. When someone loves you, you become part of their world, their life, whether you want to or not. You've no control over the fact that they love you, that's their decision, their choice. You're there until the end for them, even if you remove yourself from the equation. They love you and if you give them the chance to love you, they have something of you, like you have something of them. Denying them that, you deny a gift you can give people. Holding yourself back because losing people hurts you, that's selfish. It means you miss touching all those people who could benefit from loving you. It means that all those people miss having something special, they miss the one thing that might make their lives worthwhile - _you_" It was clear Jack had never thought in those terms before

"Owen told me to stop being such a selfish bastard. I guess I get what he meant now"

"I remember you saying you couldn't stay if it meant my throwing your feelings back in your face. I've had a long time to think this through and I want to give you the opportunity to love me, Jack Harkness, that's my gift to you. My choice because, at the end of the day, you enhance my life, I have something special I wouldn't be without. Stay and love me Jack, allow me to give you that" Jack turned, snaked a hand behind Ianto's head and pulled him in for a kiss. Their lips met and melted together again, Jack's tongue finding his. They both tasted of coffee. When they parted to draw breath Ianto fixed Jack with a look and said "One day, always supposing I survive Torchwood, you'll have to watch me grow old and die anyway, won't you?"

"Yes, I guess" Jack said, not wanting to think about it "What made you say that?"

"Oh just thinking" Ianto grinned, his breath warm against Jack's ear. His teeth nipped the earlobe and his voice was husky as he said "You'd better make the most of it then" and he pulled Jack in for another lingering kiss.

**So, this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship…I hope. Not quite finished. Maybe write some more soon. Want to concentrate on a couple of other tales first though so apologies if this one isn't updated for a while. Hope you enjoyed this though. Reviews welcome…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, etc. etc. etc. no infringement of copyright intended, etc, etc. just playing with them, like everyone else here. **

**Warning: Explicit, MA for adult theme. Jack/Ianto Slash/swearing and plenty of smut at the end… Look, what do you expect, Its Jack and Ianto! This is the final Role Reversal chapter but more will come as seperate chapters to this one so don't worry about losing the link.  
**

**A dinner date doesn't go quite according to plan…**

"Dinner?"

"Er…yeah. I thought dinner, then maybe a movie…" Jack shrugged, defensively. "You look like you need cheering up. You've been a bit subdued since you came out of hospital."

Ianto sighed, shuffled some papers on his desk, obviously giving himself time to think about it. He looked tired and Jack had a momentary urge to comfort him with a hug. Something about Ianto's demeanour held him back though. The man was distancing himself, asserting his authority again. That was what prompted Jack's suggestion. He was eager to resume their relationship. Ianto sniffed, tipped the last of his coffee down his throat and handed the mug over to Jack.

"So you're asking me out on a date?" Ianto asked, seemingly just for confirmation he had heard correctly.

"Er…yeah, guess I am."

"Leave it with me" he said, decisively, then reached over to pick up the phone. Dismissed, Jack went to take the mugs back to the kitchen. Tosh glanced at him as he retrieved her mug and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what did he say?"

"Nothing. He said to leave it with him. I don't know if that's a yes or a no"

"Well, you never know. He's been busy this last week, give it time. He's got a backlog of stuff to clear, UNIT has been giving him hell, we've had three rift spikes in 24 hours. Take it slow Jack." she advised.

"If I took it any slower I'd be in reverse" Jack muttered moodily as he took the mugs to the kitchen to make a fresh batch of coffee.

It was now common knowledge that the Boss and the Tea Boy were an item, although as far as Jack was concerned it had turned into an on-off relationship at best. Tosh and Gwen both thought it was very sweet and Owen rolled his eyes a lot and kept telling them to "get a room" if things got too heated. Not that they had, except maybe once or twice in the office since Ianto had come back to work. Jack had been more relaxed and happy, at least for a while, although things were starting to confuse him now. He had no idea what was going on in Ianto's mind.

Jack had cared for Ianto at home for more than a week, helped him with small things like getting dressed, feeding them both, just keeping him company. But that was over now, Ianto was back in the Boss's office, very much back in control. Jack had tried to make allowances for that, he would never challenge Ianto's authority, but it was harder to do that he first thought. It was as if Ianto was putting distance between them, rather than try to make their relationship work. Jack wondered if he was having second thoughts, running scared.

Coming back with coffee for everyone, Jack handed Owen a mug just as he was about to holler for one. Deflated, he retreated back to the autopsy room and his reports with a subdued "thanks". Jack knocked on Ianto's door and went in, walking round to stand beside him and placed the mug on the table as he always did.

"Waves Restaurant, 8 o'clock" Ianto said and looked Jack up and down "and can you smarten up a little?" he smiled to take the sting out of the suggestion.

"Pardon me?" Jack stopped in his tracks "Is this a date?"

"Well, you were the one who wanted to go."

"But I was going to do it." he said "My call, Damn it. All I wanted was for you to say yes…"

"Ah." Ianto frowned "Sorry." there was an uncomfortable silence "Am I out of line?"

Jack glared at the floor and seethed quietly, his face a mask.

"Look, I really _am_ sorry." Ianto said apologetically "Shall I cancel? Let you choose?" he ran a hand through his hair distractedly.

"That isn't the point!" Jack sighed "Sometimes you can be one contrary son of a bitch, you know that?"

"Ouch."

"Are we in a relationship or not? You said you wanted one with me but honestly I'm not sure what we have even qualifies as a relationship at the moment. And you're doing it again!"

"What Jack? What am I doing?" Ianto challenged, irritated.

"That…_thing_ you do…not trusting me to do a job right." he accused.

"I do trust you Jack, you know I do, or you ought to by now."

"Then why don't you show it?"

"Don't get so steamed up about it. I was a bit thoughtless, I admit, but I thought it would be nice if I took care of it. You've had a lot on your plate recently, looking after me, catching up on work, 3 rift spikes in one day, I just…" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair again "I guess I figured I'd give you one thing less to worry about."

Jack glowered, determined not to let him get off so easily "But that's what I was trying to do for you, if you'd let me!" he snapped "And what's wrong with what I wear?" he demanded to know.

"Nothing, for work. Dress up a little, you know? Something…"

"Something?" he prompted, one eyebrow raised.

Ianto reached for his coffee and eyed him up and down "Something that shows off that body of yours. It deserves more…" he shrugged, hunting for the words.

"Like what, a thong?" Jack suggested, just as Ianto took a sip of coffee. He spluttered a laugh. "Damn it Jack, how do you always manage that?" he wiped the droplets of tea from his tie.

"Impeccable timing." Jack grinned, his anger dissipating.

"OK, I get it, you got your revenge. Look, I'm sorry, truly." he got to his feet, moving to stand closer "I guess I was dense enough not to realise how important this was to you." He captured Jack's face in his hands and kissed him, an apologetic kiss, gentle and chaste "I'm sorry Jack, about us. I've just been up to my eyes since getting back to work." He sighed heavily "I'm not…not handling this whole relationship thing very well, am I?"

Jack capitulated "Ianto, its OK." he pulled the man into a hug "I just don't know where we stand at the moment, that's all. Talk to me, tell me, please?"

"What's to tell?" Ianto's arms wound round his back "I want to be with you, I want us to date, I want to spend time with you, but….work is getting in the way. I'm tired…"

"Exhausted, more like." Jack said "You came back to work too soon."

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse my behaviour."

"So, make it up to me and take me to dinner." he murmured "What do you want me to wear?"

"What have you got?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Ianto stopped by the Hub promptly at 7.30pm to pick Jack up, dressed in his usual dark overcoat against the rather chill evening wind that blew in off the bay. Dark pinstripe trousers and polished shoes were all Jack could see as a scarf sat immaculately round his neck and his coat collar was turned up to hide whatever else he was wearing. Jack was dressed similarly, his dark charcoal wool overcoat replacing the RAF blue for the night. Gwen and Tosh had both decided to take him out on a shopping trip that afternoon as his wardrobe offered nothing apart from jeans, tee shirts and working gear. Ianto cocked an eyebrow at him but said nothing as they walked to Waves Restaurant. For all the world they looked like business partners rather than lovers.

Once inside, Ianto shed his overcoat and scarf to the Hotel cloakroom and took Jack's from him, pausing to admire the man who stood in front of him. Jack had transformed from the authoritative but rough and ready figure who ran head first into a fight. He had left the work gear behind and stood there in front of a nearby mirror adjusting the collar on his dark blue shirt, straightening the dark shimmering silk of his tie. The blue complemented his eyes perfectly. His suit was charcoal grey, almost black, just like the coat. The open jacket revealed a dark blue paisley waistcoat and, in typically old-fashioned style, he was wearing a gold pocket watch, its chain draped from pocket to pocket across the waistcoat front. It took Ianto's breath away to see him so smart and so relaxed. Jack had made this effort for him and he found himself warmed by the gesture, not to mention turned on.

"So, waddaya think?" Jack stood in front of him, arms held out for appraisal. "Do I pass muster?"

"Beautiful, Jack, you look…" he paused, swallowed and whispered "…fucking gorgeous."

Jack smiled at the complement. "You're not so bad yourself." he commented, eyeing the black suit, dark claret-coloured shirt, even darker tie and the black silk waistcoat shimmering as it caught the light on the weave. Jack found himself wishing the dinner was over so he could take Ianto home and undress him…he cleared his throat and tried to think of something else.

The meal was good, the place had unrivalled views cross Cardiff Bay and their conversation didn't falter one bit. They discussed movies, music, philosophy, plays, history (Jack had seen a lot first hand after all). Touchy subjects they skimmed over, like the wars, Torchwood itself, Jack's past. Ianto found himself talking a lot about his Welsh childhood, about his family, friends, schools. Jack listened, attentive, asking questions, subtly drawing things from him. Ianto envied his ability to encourage people to talk and reveal things to him. Once you got past the lack of diplomacy and somewhat forthright attitude, that is. Ianto didn't mind, he himself would divulge nothing unless he wanted to but in Jack's company he found himself relaxed enough to talk.

"So was Lisa your first and only?" Jack asked, eventually.

"No, not the first. I guess you can discount Linda Weaver at school, we were struck on each other but it never got past kissing. Her Tad would have killed me. I had a disastrous relationship with a little IT Tech from Torchwood 1, she was all over me. Trouble was I wasn't struck on her. She had a very annoying giggle…" he trailed off "I suppose I shouldn't ask you how many you've had, I won't want to hear it"

"last count, including you, seven."

"Liar."

Jack smiled "No, honestly, seven…humans that is."

"See, I knew there was a catch. You've probably bedded at least 60 aliens…"

"Only six, as I recall" his eyes took on a far-away look "the last one was a beautiful aquamarine-skinned creature with tentacles."

"Male?"

"I said _'tentacles'_ Ianto" Jack said and Ianto grinned.

"So, amazing sex was it?"

"Oh yeah. Multiple orgasms, every orifice penetrated at once…." He shivered.

"Lecherous bastard aren't you? Makes me sound boring…"

"Never" Jack said seriously "As I've said before, when you make love to one of your own kind who actually feels something for you, no comparison." he reached out and captured Ianto's hand across the table. Serious blue eyes looked into Ianto's and he said "I mean it. I'll _never_ get bored with you."

A giggle interrupted them and Ianto snatched his hand back, blushing furiously. Two women across from their table were flicking glances and murmuring to each other, giggling softly.

"Who cares about them?" Jack said, his eyes never leaving Ianto's "This is _our_ night Ianto." and he captured his hand again and squeezed the fingers "The world can go fuck itself, I've never cared what anyone else thinks." he raised the fingers to his lips and kissed them gently "They've probably been betting all night whether we're a couple or not"

Ianto's eyes looked deep into his. "Jack, I just want you to know…"

"Excuse me Gentlemen" Ianto jumped at the sudden presence of the waiter and yelped "Yes?"

"The desert menu." he flourished the gilt edged cards and left. Jack was laughing softly and shaking his head. Ianto huffed and considered the list. Jack deliberately turned and looked at the women, smiling his most winning smile.

"Flirt on our first date and I'll kill you." came the deadpan reply.

"Shut up and order." came the retort.

"What shall I get you? The _passion_ fruit?" Ianto put the menu down and looked across at him "Jack?"

"What?"

"Let's just…go home. My place, what do you say? Coffee? Maybe that movie you suggested?" Ianto's tone made him pause.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I've had a wonderful evening, really, but this is too public, that's all." he tried to laugh "Anyway, why pay for coffee when you can have mine? Its much better."

"OK, if you're sure."

"I've never been surer of anything."

The taxi didn't take long to deposit them at Ianto's flat. Ianto made coffee for them both and they sat down on the sofa in companionable silence.

"You know, I don't know how to do this." Ianto said suddenly "This relationship thing with you, I've no idea where to start…"

"Didn't you have a relationship with Lisa?"

"Yes, but this is….different. You're a man."

"Last time I noticed."

"So…I can't do the same things with you as I did with her, they don't really fit."

"Like what? Movies? Coffee? Dinner?"

Ianto sighed "No, I mean everyday stuff, like shopping…I'm having difficulty explaining…"

"I noticed." Jack turned to face him "What is so different? You're not ashamed to be seen with me, are you? You definitely didn't like those women staring at us tonight."

"No, I'm not ashamed. Never that Jack. But I'm not used to being thought of as Gay."

Jack smiled "Takes a bit of getting used to I expect," he said "although its not hard…maybe next time I take you to a Gay bar, less pressure."

"Yeah, well, I want to enjoy myself with you Jack, not be looking over my shoulder all the time."

Jack chuckled and shed his jacket, loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. He reached out and took Ianto's coffee mug out of his hand and put it next to his on the coffee table.

"Well, I now propose to enjoy myself with you, Ianto Jones. I'm going to make out with you on this couch, then take you to bed and make out some more there, then take a long hot shower with you when we wake up tomorrow morning and then make you breakfast, how does that sound?"

Ianto regarded him with a smile "Sounds good." He said "Especially the bit about the morning." He was suddenly shy "I got used to you being around when you were looking after me" he said "It was nice to wake up with you here." Then he took a deep breath and said "Jack…how would you feel if I asked you to move in with me?"

Jack's eyebrows rose "You and me? Together? Are you sure? Isn't it a bit soon?"

"Yes, yes, yes and possibly, but I don't care" he answered "I miss you every time we're apart" Ianto admitted "When you were looking after me it felt so good to have someone here with me, to not be alone anymore. I miss that, I miss you." he sighed "I didn't know what to do to get it back…work got in the way, so much to do, to catch up on. I felt like screaming sometimes…"

"Well, I guess, if you want me to, I could move in…give it a try anyway. We got on OK last week after all."

Ianto's smile was gratifyingly happy. He fumbled in his pocket and drew out a paper bag neatly folded around something small and handed it over "I had this made for you." and he watched as Jack unwrapped it.

A gold key fell out onto Jack's palm "What's this?" he asked.

"The key to my heart?" Ianto deadpanned, then failed to keep a straight face and began to laugh. "Sorry…that was so corny." he giggled "It's a spare key to my flat of course."

Jack grinned "Nobody has ever done that for me." he admitted, then placed the key on the table carefully. When he turned back to Ianto he reached a hand behind his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

His lips sealed against the younger man's, feeling the questing tongue against his own. They groped and fondled each other, "making out" as Jack had put it, happily content to shed jackets and ties and loosen clothing and slip hands inside, stroking heated flesh and hard muscle. Jack's mouth trailed wet kisses down Ianto's neck, nipping and licking, while Ianto's fingers carded through his hair, trailed down his chest and found each hard nipple, rubbing and pinching gently. Jack moaned into Ianto's neck and thrust his hips against Ianto's thigh, feeling Ianto's arousal, the gratifyingly hard cock pressed against his leg. Ianto could also feel Jack's erection pressing with increasing urgency against him.

"Let's take this to the bedroom?" Ianto's voice was husky with need.

"Let's stay here." Jack insisted "We've got all night," he slid to the floor and knelt between Ianto's legs "We can go to bed later…" his fingers reached for the zip in Ianto's pants. One hand slipped inside to rub along the length of him through the fabric of his boxers. Ianto groaned and arched his back, lifting his hips. Jack's hands eased their way under the waistband of Ianto's boxers and tugged them and his trousers off in one go. Then he leaned forward and sealed his mouth around Ianto's erection, taking all of him deep into his throat. His cheeks hollowed as he sucked hard, heard Ianto's gasp, felt his hips thrust forward. Ianto's fingers tightened in his hair, his moans became desperate. Jack's steady rhythm got faster. He slid his hands round and grasped the flesh, pulling Ianto in towards him.

"Jack…no more…too soon…I'm…going to…" the words got lost as his desire spiralled out of control, breathy gasps becoming more and more harsh. Jack did not let go, he sucked harder, his teeth biting, tongue lapping. His fingers found their goal and invaded gently, easing into the tight heat relentlessly. Ianto cried out with the intensity and came hard into Jack's mouth. Jack swallowed it all, every bit, licking him clean. He had the look of a sated, well-fed cat, proud of the effect he had. Ianto lay gasping, head thrown back, hips still moving gently, the waves of pleasure refusing to let him go completely. A sheen of sweat covered his skin and Jack pressed close and inhaled his scent deeply, intoxicated by the man underneath him.

Finally Ianto sat up lazily and Jack rose to his feet. Ianto reached for Jack and ran his hands up the man's thighs, felt him shiver in response. With Jack standing in front of him, Ianto's fingers found the zip of Jack's trousers, undid it slowly, then slid his hands in, eased the fabric over his hips and let it pool on the floor round his ankles. Jack kicked them off as Ianto's hand rubbed his erection through the dark blue silk of his boxers. Gwen had suggested he buy those, the naughty girl, Jack thought. Apparently she had bought Rhys a pair last Christmas and from the look on her face, either she was remembering Rhys wearing them or fantasising about Jack wearing them. Either way, it had sounded like a good idea. Ianto would suit a red pair, Jack thought briefly.

Ianto buried his face in the warm fabric, nuzzling. Jack could feel Ianto's warm breath through the silk as his hand massaged carefully. He let loose a soft moan of anticipation and desire as he stood there, running his fingers through the softness of the short dark hair. He felt Ianto's hands easing the silk from his hips and freeing his cock, curling his fingers round it and stroking in a steady rhythm. Then he felt the warm wet mouth enfold him and Ianto sucked surprisingly hard. Jack's groan was accompanied by his hips jerking forward. Ianto let him go and looked up at him.

"Would you…Jack, I…"

"What?" Jack asked gently "What do you want me to do?"

Ianto simply looked at him, his own cock rapidly hardening again, making it difficult to think. His eyes closed as he fought to concentrate, his breathing fast and shallow.

"I…I don't know…"

"Yes, you do" came the quiet reply.

"I…" he paused "I'm not…" he was flustered, unable to get the words out.

"Ianto, if you don't want to suck me off, I don't mind" Jack smiled "Its an acquired taste"

"Its not that…I…" he screwed his eyes shut "God, fuck me again Jack, that's what I want…" his voice was a whisper.

Jack grinned "You only had to ask" he murmured. "Come on, time to take this to the bedroom" and he helped Ianto to his feet, divesting him of his shirt, throwing the rest of his own clothing on the sofa. He walked backwards, tugging Ianto along by the hands, pulling him into a heated embrace just inside the door. They tumbled to the bed and lay there, kissing and stroking.

Eventually, Ianto pulled away again, the look in his eyes unfathomable.

"You OK?" Jack asked, his cock just inches from Ianto's delectable mouth. He was aching for the man to taste him again, but he seemed unsure.

"Yeah" it came out huskily.

"Sure?"

"No, just…not used to all this yet."

"Feel your way" Jack suggested with a grin "Just go with what you know you like to have somebody do to you"

Ianto shivered and carefully let the head of Jack's cock slide into his mouth, his lips compressing gently, warm breath caressing the sensitive skin. Jack hissed through gritted teeth at the waves of pleasure shooting through him. Ianto's uncertainty made him slow, but slow was fine in Jack's book. Going slow prolonged the outcome, going slow made the feelings more intense.

Suddenly Ianto pulled back again. Jack looked at him, one eyebrow raised. A fine sheen of sweat covered his torso, his eyes burned with an intensity Jack had never seen before.

Abruptly, Ianto lay face down on the bed, arms above his head. He flicked a glance Jack's way, just so Jack would catch the implication. He grinned. Ianto was mutely submitting to Jack's control, silently asking for Jack to take the initiative. Well, Jack thought, if that was what he wanted, that was what he would get… He sat up, positioned himself behind the prone form and then laid his full weight along Ianto's back, pressing him into the bed. He knew his cock was leaving its own impression, wantonly pressing into Ianto's flesh, leaving him in no doubt as to where it would soon end up. He went to work on the back of Ianto's neck with teeth and tongue, leaving a trail of kisses down his back.

He paused when he touched the scar on Ianto's back below the ribs, kissed it gently. Ianto turned his head "Its OK Jack, I'm fine now" he said softly. Jack nodded and went back to his caressing. As he went lower, he felt the man stiffen beneath him, anticipating. God but Ianto loved to be fucked, now he had found out how good it felt. And Jack really loved it to hear those words coming from his mouth, asking him.

"Say it" he whispered "What do you want me to do to you?"

Ianto writhed beneath him, mute for a moment. Then, in that oh-so-quiet voice with those beautiful Welsh vowels he replied "Fuck me, please Jack. I want you to fuck me, hard…"

"Yes Sir" Jack answered softly and felt the quivering response in Ianto's whole body beneath him.

Ianto felt Jack's penetrating fingers, spreading him, teasing, coaxing sensations out of him again. He moaned, shifted back against Jack's hand, wanting more. Jack did not take long, Ianto was already more than prepared. Ianto's breath hitched as he felt the fingers withdraw to be replaced very quickly by Jack's warm, firm and very slick cock. He slid in slowly and gently, taking his time, feeling Ianto push back onto him, urging him on. He settled into a steady rhythm, feeling Ianto match his movements. This time, their passion built slowly as Jack moved and moved within Ianto's body. He reached forward, grasped Ianto's wrists and brought them together, binding them both above his head in the unyielding grip of one large hand. His other hand stroked down Ianto's ribs then slipped round under his stomach to grasp at the erection he found there, stroking in time to his thrusts. Taking things to another level, Jack's thrusts got harder, faster. Ianto's back arched, he growled deep in his throat. His hips slammed back into Jack's and his body jerked hard as he found his release. Jack wasn't far behind, spilling his seed deep inside his lover, such beautiful release binding him ever closer to the man whose body he possessed.

He slid off Ianto's back, along his side, releasing his wrists and folding him into a tight embrace, protective, loving and possessive. Ianto sighed, lethargy spreading through every limb, the aftermath of great sex soaking through every pore. He was content, held in the arms of the man he loved. Suddenly, a thought came to Jack.

"Ianto, back in the restaurant, do you remember what you were going to say before you got interrupted? You said _"I just want you to know…"._ Know what, Ianto?" Jack didn't expect a reply, realising that Ianto may well have forgotten or, more likely, that his brain had just overloaded and there was no way he would be able to remember. But surprisingly, Ianto murmured "I love you"

"Was that it? Really?"

"I was going to say, I just want you to know, whatever happens, I love you, Jack" Sleep began to overcome both brain and body and he was powerless to stop it.

"I love you too Ianto Jones" Jack said, unaware if he had heard or not.

"I know" came the slightly slurred reply and Jack held him close, unwilling to let go, listening as Ianto's breathing slowed and deepened as he slipped into unconsciousness. There was something about Ianto Jones that had hooked Jack Harkness and reeled him in, helpless to resist. Finally he decided it was pointless to even try. Jack let sleep take him, wondering briefly if he would ever find anywhere where he felt such contentment ever again. Best not to think about it, his sleepy mind considered as he finally succumbed to slumber.

**So there it is, and I think this might be the end of Role Reversal, but a sequel is pending. Domestication for the boys…I'll add new chapters to this one though, rather than start a new story or alerts might not pick it up. Hope you liked to ending…**


	9. Domestic Bliss 101 chap 1

**Disclaimer: I still don't own any of this, not a thing, no offence, no infringement intended, at all, zippo, zilch, nada…**

**This is for sinj, katwinchester, 0lizzybennet0, galadriel1010 and all the rest of you who reviewed and wanted more. Hope you like it.  
**

**We begin with fluff I'm afraid, nothing really dramatic or adventurish, no cliff hanger even, just relationship fluff…**

**_Chalk and Cheese…living together puts a strain on a new relationship...the boys have a tiff…_**

"Where the hell are my keys?" Ianto's voice floated through from the living room.

"You left them on the kitchen table" Jack shouted from the bathroom.

"So where are they? They're not there now."

"I know, I moved them."

"Care to tell me where they are then?"

"I put them in your overcoat pocket."

There was a pause, the amount of time it took him to search his pockets, then "they're not there."

"That's because I moved them."

"Jack, this is not twenty questions, where the hell are my keys now?!"

"On the table in the bedroom."

There was a growl and then "Finally!"

Jack emerged from the bathroom, naked.

"For God's sake, put some clothes on, we're late!"

"We are not late…"

"Excuse me, its nearly 7am. I have wasted ten minutes looking for my keys because you insist on being an arse about it! You are such a child sometimes!"

"I checked my watch less than ten minutes ago" Jack picked up the wrist strap and frowned "See, 6.35…"

"Not to go by my watch!" he burst out "Nor my mobile or the speaking clock, I just called it up. It's 6.58"

"Sorry…" Jack hurried into the bedroom and left Ianto to pace the floor.

He emerged, fully dressed, five minutes later, Ianto giving him the silent treatment all the way to work.

They had been living together for a month and it wasn't working. Jack was always too sloppy for Ianto's taste, Ianto was too uptight about tidiness for Jack. This morning Jack watched Ianto's retreating back as he almost ran up to his office and went to get the morning coffee for everyone, thinking that maybe he had just blown it.

"Thank God, I thought we were going to have to mob Starbucks!" Owen gasped as Jack served him his morning fix of caffeine. "Gwen's called in sick, I thought for a moment that saving the world was going to be down to Tosh and me." he grinned at the thought.

Tosh looked at Jack and frowned "You OK?" He took a breath and nodded, trying not to let it show. He wasn't OK. He was far from OK. Ianto hadn't said a word when he gave him his coffee. Jack knew this wasn't working but he didn't know what to do.

"What's the matter?" she followed him down to the archives.

"Its not working, us living together." he admitted "I'm too sloppy, he's too neat, we're like chalk and cheese here." He sighed "I lost his keys for him this morning."

"Oh, how did he take it?"

"Not well. Not at all well. They weren't lost exactly, just I put them somewhere safe, I knew where they were…I was teasing really, just a joke, but he didn't see the funny side. He's always misplacing his keys, it's the one thing he does that isn't tidy and neat and well ordered. Add to that the fact that I was late because the time on my wrist strap was set wrong, must have altered it by mistake, it was on Tovaran time…haven't been there for years…" he mused, then snapped back to the present, looking downcast "Ianto hasn't spoken to me since we left the flat."

"Oh, that isn't good." Tosh said sympathetically, "You'll just have to make it up to him."

"How? I'm not exactly flavour of the month right now."

"Don't forget though, Ianto has to cut you some slack, it can't be one sided."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm moving in with him, its his place…"

"Even so, if he wants you, he's got to make some changes," Tosh said wisely "but you've got to try a little harder."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"I'm going to go buy supplies." Jack announced later that morning "If anybody wants me I'll be in Tesco's."

"OK, can you bring back some of those to-die-for chocolate biscuits?" Tosh pleaded "Those you brought last time, pleeeease?"

Jack grinned and shouted "Anything you want Owen?"

"Nope, just don't forget the coffee."

Jack didn't ask Ianto, he didn't feel able to talk to him. He just wanted to go and get the shopping, then go home. He had something he wanted to do.

When he got back, two hours later, the Hub was deserted and there was a note on the coffee table "Weevil hunt, Cathays, see you soon. Tosh"

Jack put away the supplies, trying not to be worried. They hadn't called him. Ianto obviously thought one weevil could be handled by the three of them. The thought that probably Ianto wanted nothing to do with him crossed his mind as well, but he could not for one minute think that Ianto would let personal feelings get in the way of a professional decision. He went to his workstation and tapped in the code and brought up the Cathays' CCTVs and scanned for any activity. He spotted the SUV heading back, coming in rather quickly for a post-hunt return. He wondered if everything was alright and hit the comms button.

"You OK?"

"Just great, Tea Boy!" came Owen's growl.

"Can I do anything?"

"Just get the damn coffee machine on!" and he cut the connection.

Ten minutes later, the cog door rolled back to reveal Ianto leaning heavily on Tosh and Owen cradling his right hand in his left. They all looked tattered. Jack came forward to take Ianto's weight from Tosh. He was walking with a heavy limp and he looked grey.

Tosh sat down heavily and took her cup, cradling it for comfort. A plate with her favourite biscuits sat near the coffee and she smiled gratefully.

"What happened?" Jack asked the room in general.

"It was a bitch!" Owen snapped, face drawn with pain.

"Literally" Ianto rasped. He was fighting pain from somewhere. His face was drawn. Jack tightened his grip and lead them down to the autopsy room.

Owen looked at Jack and indicated his arm "You're nurse for today." he said "My arm's buggered, I can't do anything."

"What's the damage?" he sat Ianto down on a chair and turned to Owen.

"Damn thing had a blade of glass, wrapped in cloth, made itself a knife."

"That's not good. Changes the rules of engagement, now they're more of a threat than ever."

"Yeah, well, we're going to need stitches and antibiotics real fast" Owen said, his voice rasping "and you're going to have to do it, because there is nobody else."

"Of course I'll do it."

"Help me off with this then" and Jack helped Owen take off his jacket. Underneath his arm was a mess. "I would have asked Tosh to help but she's shattered. She did the driving and I have no idea how she did it, but she was the one dragged the body into the boot."

"The Weevil's dead then?"

"Yeah but its not going anywhere, we need to deal with this first."

"Sure, just asking" Jack said, peeling Owen's torn sleeve away from the wounds. Underneath, two ragged and rather deep cuts had crossed the muscles of his forearm.

"Pull open that drawer there." and Jack followed Owen's instructions as he guided him to find the things he needed. He found the anaesthetic spray and misted it over the cuts, watching the relief in Owen's eyes as the pain eased. "That's better" he muttered, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Now I can concentrate."

Ianto was sitting slumped over on the chair and Jack got his coat off, seeing the slashed fabric across his thigh that he hadn't previously been aware of in the dark material. Underneath there was a hastily applied dressing, but the cut was long and deep. Not critical, not life threatening but serious enough. Jack let out a slow breath he hadn't been aware he was holding in. He got him undressed down to his boxers and then went about making the autopsy bed more comfortable with a layer of blankets which he covered in a sheet. Without hesitation he lifted Ianto in his arms and carried him over to the bed, covered him with another blanket to keep him warm, then, with Owen's instruction, cleaned and stitched the wound and applied a dressing and bandage. Ianto was silent the entire time. That worried Jack and Owen told him how to activate the Bekaran scanner to check him over. However, bar for the injury and the obvious shock to his system, there was nothing else.

"I'm fine" he said eventually "Don't fuss."

"No Sir." Jack said automatically and Ianto actually laughed, a harsh sound in the surroundings.

"Come on, Nurse Harkness, you haven't finished yet." Owen muttered and proceeded to instruct him on dealing with his arm. When he finished, Owen grudgingly admitted it wasn't a bad job. Tosh had wandered through to join them, not wanting to be alone.

"How's that Rift predictor program?" Jack asked her.

"Coming along. Its not perfect yet."

"Accuracy?"

"95%, maybe 98%m, I need more data really."

"Use it for me, find out when it thinks the next activity if likely to be."

"Right" she was glad to have something to do and disappeared up the stairs.

"Maybe something tomorrow morning, I can't be 100% sure." Tosh came back with the results twenty minutes later. Ianto was sitting up, the blanket draped round him, a mug of tea in his hands. He and Owen had both taken antibiotics and painkillers and they were both looking better.

"Good, then I suggest you transfer the rift monitoring to my wrist strap and I can keep an eye on it from home." Jack hesitated just a fraction before continuing. He had called Ianto's flat 'home'. "Let's all go home. Get some rest and come back tomorrow, if you feel OK" he fixed Owen with a look and then helped Ianto off the table.

"Keep your weight off that for a while" Owen ordered and Ianto smiled thinly.

Shortly afterwards the cog door rolled shut on their departure.

The flat was spotless. Ianto hobbled in, leaning on Jack for support and Jack deposited him on the sofa and went to make coffee.

"You've cleaned up" he noted, looking round.

"Yeah, felt guilty, sorry. Been taking you and this for granted. Won't happen again."

"You didn't need to…"

"Yes I did. Look, I'm sorry about this morning. I was an ass. I was teasing and you didn't appreciate it, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about the time too. I _really_ got it wrong." He held out his wrist "Was set for some weird planet I haven't been on for years…" he shrugged "My mistake."

Ianto sighed "Its OK." He said gently. "I'm sorry too, I was over sensitive. Tosh gave me a right bollocking in the car. Said she knew it was really non of her business but she thought I ought to know that you were upset about hurting my feelings and worried in case I was going to throw you out."

"Tosh said that?" Jack smiled, visualising the petite Japanese woman berating the boss on his love life.

"She was very vocal" Ianto could still hear her voice in his head, telling him he should know better and he ought to decide what was important, the love of a good man or a tidy flat.

"That's Tosh for you" Jack observed "Wise about everybody's life but her own."

"I'm glad she did it" Ianto said "Now could I please have a cup of coffee before I get withdrawal symptoms?"

"Sure" Jack was happy to oblige.

When he returned with the coffee Jack sat down beside him, flicked on the television and sat channel hopping, looking for something to interest him.

"Switch it off" Ianto said gently.

"What?"

"I said switch it off, please?"

Obediently Jack flicked the switch and turned to face him. Ianto leaned forward and kissed him, hard and desperate.

"Ianto, what's wrong?" Jack pulled away and faced him.

"I need you." he rasped, "Jack…I'm sorry…"

"What for? You've nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes, I have!" He burst out "I haven't really been exactly trying to make this easy for you."

"What? To make what easy?"

"You moving in with me, us, together. I've just been my stupid obsessive self and not even tried to compromise."

Jack kissed him then, softly, mindful of his injured leg. He captured Ianto's face in his hands and looked deeply into the other's blue eyes "Don't start blaming yourself. I'm not the easiest person to live with. Look love, I'm as guilty as you are. I thought I could just be myself but that's not fair, is it? If this is a partnership, then we both need to compromise. So, let's start again, shall we?"

"OK" Ianto smiled and kissed him again, more gently this time. "Can we go to bed?"

"Sure, if you want to."

"Just need you."

Jack smiled "Better be careful though."

In the event, Jack did all the work. He insisted Ianto should lie still and let him, so Ianto did. Jack used his hands and lips and tongue and teeth, skilfully tumbling his lover over the edge and into sweet oblivion. Ianto lay there, spent, aware of the dragging soreness in his thigh but not caring. Jack had been careful and kind. He lay along side him, warm against his skin, his body fitting Ianto's as if made for the purpose. Ianto turned his face towards Jack's chest and breathed in his scent, the male musk he loved. Content, he fell asleep in Jack's protective embrace.

**The boys are together…domestic bliss ensues, or does it…? Hope you like this next installment, please review.  
**


	10. Domestic Bliss 101 chap 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything here, except maybe the idea and not sure that the boys haven't just got up and walked off on their own…**

_**You can't choose your family…**_

"At last! You're late!" Rhiannon snapped as she watched Ianto get out of the car and walk across the grass to meet her.

"I'm sorry Rhi'." he said apologetically.

"What's wrong? Why are you limping?" she demanded to know.

"You should see the other fella." He said gently "I'm fine. Honestly."

"You don't look fine." She said and engulfed her brother in a hug, which he returned a little less fiercely. They sat down on the park bench and watched Mica chasing David across the play park, shouting "Pow, pow, pow" as though she was shooting at him.

"So, how are you?" Ianto asked, smiling and waving at Mica as she saw him, then at David as he looked to see who Mica was waving at.

"Me? I'm fine as always. Look, I won't beat about the bush…a mate of mine, Susan was out the other day, it was her anniversary and they went to that posh French place in town, the one by the memorial…and there was you."

"Ssso?" Ianto frowned, wondering what was coming.

"Well, there was you havin' dinner…with a man…"

"Probably was. We go for a drink occasionally."

"This was more than a bloody drink Ianto, if what she said was true."

"So…?"

"So you don't deny it then?"

Ianto sighed "Deny what Rhi'?"

"She said you looked like you were quite…well, intimate…you know, together. She also said he was gorgeous, like a movie star" she paused, "or an escort…"

"He works with me." Ianto admitted.

"Works with you?"

"So? You go out with Tina, don't you?" he countered.

"Not to posh restaurants…" Rhiannon scoffed, "and I said to her, well, he's been out with girls and she said well, no girl was getting her feet round that table, that was certain…" she looked at him "Have you gone Bender then?" and when he stayed quiet she said "You never tell me anythin' these days. Like after Dad died, that was it, you were off, you couldn't wait to leave…Like I did somethin' wrong. I didn't, did I?" She turned away, just gazing across the grass at Mica.

"Its my job…its difficult…. Its…" Ianto paused, coming to a decision, "he is very handsome…"

"No!" she was incredulous.

"Now stop it." Ianto warned gently.

"You're kidding me! Really though? Christ Almighty! But he's nice though, isn't he? Is he? I mean, since when?"

Ianto thought about it "Its weird, its just…_different_. Its not…men, its…just him. Its only him and I…don't even know what it is really, so…so I'm not broadcasting it."

"Oh no, honest, I won't say!" she reassured him quickly "If you want it kept quiet I won't say, I promise."

Ianto met his sister's eyes and smiled.

"Ay Ay, Gay Boy!" came the ebullient tones of his brother-in-law behind him "I 'ear you're takin' it up the arse…" he received a good natured clout to his shoulder that nearly knocked him off the seat and Johnny hove into view, a cheerful grin on his face. Ianto locked gazes with a very embarrassed Rhiannon who tried to hide her grin. "MICA!" Johnny roared "Come down off that thing now!" and he sauntered over to rescue his daughter from the climbing frame.

"Hey, am I interrupting?" came the familiar voice behind them. Ianto turned and smiled a little ruefully. Rhiannon turned and looked up as Jack came down the slope towards them. Her eyes nearly popped.

"Ianto, that isn't…him, is it?"

"Sorry, I'm late…work." He said, leaning in for a kiss "You did ask me to meet you here?"

"Its fine Jack, no problem. Jack, I want you to meet my sister, Rhiannon Davies. Rhiannon, meet Jack Harkness."

"Jack" she held out a hand and Jack took it. In a moment of pure mischief, he raised it to his lips and kissed it.

"The pleasure is mine." he said, looking her up and down. "Can see you all share the family good looks." She tried not to be drawn in by the man's obvious flirting and failed miserably. Giggling, she took her hand back and met his eyes. Yes, he was nice, very nice indeed. Susan hadn't been wrong about the man's looks. Almost a shame he was gay, she thought. Her next thought was to consider that her brother was a very lucky man.

"Hey, you tryin' to chat up my wife?" Johnny growled amiably, holding a struggling Mica in his arms as he walked back towards them. He found himself the subject of Jack's gaze, which made him feel a little uncomfortable as Jack grinned and said "Wow, Rhiannon, you have great taste in men."

Mica struggled out of her surprised dad's grip and ran over to Ianto. "Uncle Ianto, Uncle Ianto, is this your boyfriend?" she asked eagerly. Ianto picked her up and smiled "Yes, Mica, this is Jack. Jack, say hello to Mica, my niece."

"Hello Mica," Jack grinned at her.

"My friend Lizzie has two mums." She said proudly. "Are you and Uncle Ianto going to get married?"

Ianto and Jack exchanged a glance and Rhiannon said "Mica, for goodness sake…"

"No, that's OK." Jack said, grinning "We've not been together long Mica, I don't know if your Uncle Ianto likes me enough yet…" the little girl studied him for a moment before declaring "Well, I like you, you smell nice." And she threw her arms round his neck and hugged him hard "and if he doesn't ask you, he's bloody daft!"

Ianto and Jack went home later in thoughtful mood. Rhiannon seemed to have taken the news of her brother's shift in sexual orientation quite well and even Johnny, a traditional Welshman by all counts, hadn't turned a hair at the news. Jack had liked the no-nonsense couple a lot. They were down-to-earth and ordinary, a perfect foil to Ianto's out-of-the-ordinary profession. Rhiannon loved her brother, that much was plain to see. Over the course of the afternoon, Jack had seen her looking their way, a small smile on her lips at the two of them as they stood close, watching the children playing, Jack with his arm round Ianto's shoulders.

He was pleased that Mica had taken to him, giving him a little kiss on his cheek when they said their goodbyes. Her brother had also shaken his hand. Jack had wondered if Ianto might consider having children sometime. Jack's stomach flipped as he thought about how much he was really considering going back on his vow not to do that again. For Ianto, he would be willing to try. That admission was a shock.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Jack, can I talk to you?"

"Sure" Jack came in to the living room from the kitchen. "You want coffee first?"

"No, sit down."

"This sounds serious." Jack sat on the couch and looked at his lover.

"If anything happens to me, would you see Rhiannon and the kids are OK?" he said quickly. Jack looked at him, speechless for a moment "Its just, I've been thinking, if anything did happen, and lets face it, I've come close twice now already, I want you to take care of Mica and David for me. You know, visit them sometimes, make sure they're OK, if they need anything…that sort of thing. I know Rhiannon likes you. It would just set my mind at rest."

"Of course I will. You know that. No problem, Yan" Jack agreed. "But we take it one day at a time, each day as it comes, OK?"

"OK. But we don't know what's round the corner…we have no idea if I'll still be breathing by tomorrow night…"

"Yan, you can't think like that."

"I do though. No pension plan in Torchwood, remember?"

"Yeah, otherwise I'd have been pulling mine ages ago…"

Ianto didn't laugh "Look Jack, I'm not sure what we're doing is right."

"Right? What are you talking about?"

"Well, look at us. Dangerous job, secret occupation…what are we doing Jack? Are we fooling ourselves? What are we looking for after all, distraction? Tell me, are we really being honest with ourselves? I'm not sure that we even have a future."

Jack looked at him, an angry retort forming on his lips but he bit it back and frowned instead. "Then what's all this been about? What about us? What about Love? I think you're wrong!" he said vehemently.

"Why?"

"Because, I can't think like that…"

"You're immortal. I wouldn't expect you to."

"That's not it. I'm human, just like you. I have emotions and needs and wants and thoughts…I'm not dead from the neck up because I'm immortal."

"Jack…"

"No, you listen to me Yan. I love you. I do not want to lose you again. You hear me? I don't care how stupid this is, how short lived or lacking in a future. This is what we have now, _now_, you hear? We don't need any more. All we need is each other…all we need is this!" Jack was angry and scared and more than a little upset. He didn't understand Ianto's change of heart. He felt helpless, feeling all they had slipping away from him as he sat there, coming so soon after their previous altercations and problems, it was too much. "Tell you what? I'm going out. I need time to think and I can't stay to see this disintegrate in front of my eyes…" he stood up and headed for the door, tears blurring his vision.

"Jack!" Ianto called. Jack ignored the plea and grabbed his coat "Jack!" Ianto ran to catch him and grabbed his arm before he could leave. He spun Jack round and slammed him against the wall so hard his head flew back and banged into the unyielding brick.

"Ow! Jesus, that hurt!" he stood there, holding his head and looking slightly stunned. "That rattled my teeth!" he growled "Damn it Yan, you're so…masterful when you're angry!" he grimaced a grin, chagrined.

"God, Jack I'm sorry!"

"Don't!" Jack grabbed Ianto's arms to steady himself "I deserved it."

"Jack, I really am sorry. I had no right…I'm just…scared, that's all. I'm so full of questions that have no answers."

"Would you...get me to bed, I think you just managed to give me a concussion…"

He felt gentle fingers moving over the back of his skull as Ianto checked him out.

"Not broken, thank god. I didn't expect you to hit quite so hard!" Ianto helped him into the bedroom and sat him down "You feeling dizzy?"

"A bit."

"Oh fuc. Double vision?" he held fingers up in front of his eyes "How many?"

"Three and a half." Jack quipped and then said "Two." on seeing Ianto's glower.

"Let's get your clothes off and get you into bed." His head was throbbing, a dull ache where he had hit. He didn't resist.

"Could you get me some painkillers?" he rasped as Ianto pulled the duvet cover over him.

"I think I'll call Owen first." and Ianto went to call.

Jack lay back and closed his eyes. Boy, he hadn't bargained for that one. He must have been off balance, he thought, or maybe he hadn't really wanted to resist. Ianto came back, sat down next to him and reached for his hand. "I really am sorry…I let my fears get the better of me…"

"Almost worth the pain." Jack replied. "Look, Yan, I'm sorry too. But we belong together, you and me, for as long as we can get. Why try to deny the feelings, they won't go away."

"No, I know." He sighed "Not sure I want them too, just…I wish I could face the future with a glad heart, I've got the love of a good man, what more could I want…?"

"Oh, I don't know, stability, security, safety? A normal life? The job isn't perfect Ianto, that could have something to do with it."

"Define normal." Ianto retorted. He switched the side light on and the overhead off and went to put the coffee machine on.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Owen stood on the doorstep, bag in hand.

"Thanks for coming." Ianto let him in and walked with him to the bedroom.

"No problem Boss." Owen said "What did you do to him?"

"Slammed him against a wall…" Owen looked quickly at his boss for any sign of humour but there was non.

"What you two get up to is non of my business." He said, looking uncomfortable.

"It wasn't like that!" Ianto retorted "We were arguing…"

"You two?" Owen said incredulously "Exactly what did you do?"

"Pushed him against the wall and he hit his head, probably put a dent in the brick."

"Let's have a look then." Owen pulled Jack into a sitting position and investigated the back of his head with firm fingers. He felt around the bruising and pressed here and there, ignoring Jack's wincing as he did so. "Well, doesn't look like its fractured. Any nausea? Vomiting? Headache? Flashing lights?"

"No sickness, no lights, just blinding headache…"

"That's good. Well, not good for you, obviously, but it might have been worse…" Owen took out a pencil torch and shone it in Jack's eyes, peering into each one, watching the response. He held up two fingers and asked how many Jack could see, checked his heart rate and blood pressure and declared nothing seriously wrong. "Mild concussion. Painkillers and bed rest for 24 hours. I know you won't stay in bed any longer, knowing you. You'll be fine. Any change, call me at once though, got that? If you can't wake him up, if he starts being sick, you know the drill."

Ianto nodded "Will do. Thanks Owen."

"We can handle things tomorrow Boss." Owen said suddenly "If we need you, we'll call. Stay home and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!" He suggested, then frowned and added "And that goes for you too Boss, no beating him senseless again, you got that?"

"Yes, thank you Owen." Ianto said exasperatedly "See you later…" and he showed the doctor out.

"How are you feeling now?" Ianto asked from the bedroom doorway.

"Not bad, the painkillers are kicking in…" he looked sleepy.

"I'm sorry." Ianto sat down on the bed, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yan, stop it." He was smiling now "You just don't know your own strength."

"I was desperate…"

"Why?"

"I didn't want to lose you either."

"You know Ianto, you don't have to knock me unconscious in order to keep me." Jack looked ruefully at his lover and grabbed Ianto's hand "Come to bed?"

Ianto sighed and smiled "I'll go tidy up first. I made us some coffee…you want some?"

"Refuse your coffee? Never." Jack relaxed back into the pillows. His head was tender at the back but bearable, the ache had receded to a manageable level. He would cope with it though. Through it, Ianto had shown him how much he really needed him, albeit in a rather desperate way.

"Jack?" Ianto was standing there with two steaming mugs on a tray, his shirt sleeves rolled up, a short plain black apron round his waist.

"You look like a very sexy waiter." Jack observed with a grin.

Ianto grinned back and placed the coffees on the bedside table "There you go Sir, your coffee. Is there anything else I can get you?" he said respectfully, playing up to the role.

"Yeah, I have this very hot date arriving soon, can you show him in when he gets here?"

"I think I can manage that Sir. Will he be wanting coffee as well?"

"Oh, I should think so. I'm hoping he'll soothe my fevered brow to make up for throwing me against the wall."

"I hope you're going to punish him severely for doing that to you." Ianto deadpanned.

"Oh, I'll think of something." Jack replied.

"I really don't know how anybody could do that to you Sir."

Jack grinned "Why not?"

"Because…" Ianto leaned close "you're a very kind, very good looking, very forgiving and very wonderful man, Jack…" he covered Jack's mouth with his own. The kiss was gentle and undemanding, comforting and warm. They broke away and Ianto's blue eyes gazed down into Jack's.

"When he arrives" Jack added, "can you also tell him he's forgiven?" He smiled and saw the relief in Ianto's eyes before the younger man stood up.

"I'll tell him Sir." He said as he left the room, a smile on his face as if all was right with the world again.

_**Oh, the boys are having fun adjusting to being a couple… what next, and is Ianto going to do as his little niece suggests? Reviews are always welcome…**_

_**And sorry, I cannot resist sticking song lyrics in there! I challenge you to find them…**_


	11. Domestic Bliss 101 chap 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own any of this, not a thing, no offence, no infringement intended, at all, zippo, zilch, nada…**

**D Day apparently stood for Decision Day. So here it is, Ianto's 'D Day', from several points of view.**

_But first, the day before D Day…_

The SUV braked to a halt across the end of the alleyway, Jack and Owen tumbling out and running down it, guided by Tosh's instructions.

"Its not far Jack, you're almost on top of it" came her voice in his ear.

"We're in position!" Gwen told them "Nothing coming this way yet." She and Ianto were at the other end of the alley, some 200 yards away. There was no way in or out except past them. Jack drew to a halt as he saw Gwen and Ianto standing at the alley's far end. There was nothing but a couple of dumpsters in the way and no sign of anything else.

"Tosh? Nothing to see here. Advice?"

"About fifty feet away from you. Looks like the signature is coming from those dumpsters. CCTV is at the wrong angle for me to see between them."

"Owen." It was Ianto. "You stay where you are. Gwen, you stay here. Jack, you advance towards me and I'll meet you at the bins." The two men set off towards each other, guns drawn. They were halted a few yards from the bins by a series of squeaks and wails. Jack and Ianto exchanged glances and while Jack levelled his Webley, Ianto approached cautiously. Drawing level with the gap between the bins Ianto stopped and frowned, then straightened up and held out a hand.

Jack watched as a curiously thin individual stepped out and touched Ianto with a …hand? The skin was vaguely blue, and as they watched, it seemed to morph into a man, roughly Ianto's height and weight with short blond hair and green eyes.

Ianto bowed and spoke and the creature answered, too low to hear.

"Its OK." Ianto spoke quietly "Its Sach'ara'na, lost if I'm any judge…" he looked towards Jack and said "Just you, come up here. Slowly!" and Jack holstered the Webley and walked towards them. He saw the creature flinch as he approached and he hesitated, waited while it calmed before he proceeded.

"Sir?" he said gently.

"Jack, this is Ish'ma'har, he was a first officer on a deep space vessel but the ship vanished into the rift and everybody baled. He landed here, in an escape pod. He's alone, hungry and a bit nervous and I can't say I blame him."

"You've met them before?"

"Yes, Ms Hartman had one, but he wasn't as lucky…" Ianto's expression hardened "I aim to help this one if we can."

"Right, well, how do we proceed?"

"We get him back to the Hub, Owen can run full medical, we need to get him some clothes and food and a place to sleep. Then I need to call UNIT."

Ish'ma'har proved to be a model guest, polite and reserved, a little nervous until he realised they really didn't mean him any harm. He was able to assume roughly human form, an innate ability to imitate any creature of approximate body mass and density to himself. He wasn't quite human to look at though and he explained it was considered very impolite to impersonate an actual person, although it had been known as a survival technique. Ianto decided he would keep that little piece of information quiet. He also noticed Jack was flirting again. The Sach'ara'na was attractive, especially as a human male. Obviously not given to the same sexual taboos as humans, he was studying Jack as well as responding to him.

"Er…pardon me, but don't you have work to do?" Ianto asked pointedly after Jack's third very blatant comment concerning the fact that tentacles had advantages.

"Oh, sorry Sir, yes…" Jack got to his feet and made a hasty bow towards the Sach'ara'na. Ianto turned to Ish'na'har as Jack left, his usual irrepressible grin in place. He smiled and said gently "Forgive me, but you are aware of human relationship rituals?" The creature smiled and nodded and then looked Ianto up and down.

"Did I err?" he asked carefully.

"Not precisely. I should inform you that Jack is not free though…"

"Ah, is payment required for his services…?"

Ianto stifled laughter. "No, that isn't what I meant. Please, allow me to rephrase. Jack is in a relationship." Or he will be if I have anything to do with it, Ianto thought "Not many humans on this planet choose to take more than one partner." Ianto explained carefully.

"Oh, forgive me, I did not realise…I thought he was exhibiting desires to…well, join? Partake of pleasure with me…?"

"I'm sure he'd be flattered by your enthusiasm." Ianto complemented "but he considers speaking in such terms a hobby, a pastime. We call it 'flirting'."

"I see, so this 'flirting' is not a serious proposition?"

"Oh, he might have meant it as a serious proposition but I'm afraid his partner wouldn't appreciate that."

"And you seek to save his partner face by letting me know of Jack's intent?" Ish'na'har said "That is most honourable of you."

Ianto smiled and said "I also seek to avoid any problems with yourself."

The Sach'ara'na bowed low "For that I do thank you. I am…honoured to know you Ianto Jones."

Ianto spent a full hour to UNIT later that afternoon, arguing that they needed to help Ish'na'har, but he was passed from pillar to post until he was ready to tear out his hair. Jack popped his head around the door and indicated he wanted to speak. Ianto covered the mouthpiece of the phone and hissed "What?"

"Ask for Lethbridge-Stewart"

"What?"

"Ask for Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart"

"I thought he was retired?"

"Well ask if he can call you."

Someone came on the line again and Ianto listened. "No, this is a matter of urgency. Why must it wait? I…no, I understand but….no…" he growled as he was obviously put on hold again. "Who did you say again?"

"You've never heard of the Brigadier?"

"My contact with UNIT has been recent and limited, unfortunately not limited enough!"

"The Brigadier is an old friend of the Doctor, he can help. He still has influence with UNIT. He knows people."

"Hello, yes? Oh. Well in that case, please can you pass this number to Brigadier…" he paused, looking at Jack for help.

"Lethbridge-Stewart" Jack hissed.

"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Yes, please. If he could call Ianto Jones, Head of Torchwood 3 at his earliest convenience, thank you" and Ianto put the phone down. "Its like wading through treacle!" he snapped.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Suzie had trouble all the time. They're a bit up themselves…"

"A bit…" Ianto laughed. "Thank you Jack. I hope Lethbridge…what was his name...Stewart? I hope he can help with this."

"He's a decent guy, invite him over, I'm sure he'd like to see the place."

They were sitting in the boardroom eating lunch when the phone call came. Ianto excused himself to answer it and was gone at least fifteen minutes. When he returned he looked at Jack and said "Well, good news everybody, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart has agreed to help with resettling our guest. Now we wait." He sat back down and resumed eating. "Any chance of coffee Jack?"

"Anything for you Sir." Jack grinned, sauntering off to the kitchen.

The Sach'ana'ra was suitably pleased that things seemed to be going according to plan. He was still a little nervous and somehow managed to attach himself to either Jack or Ianto throughout the rest of the day. Jack continued to flirt but noticed a marked difference in the responses. He challenged Ianto about it later when they got home.

"What did you tell him?" Jack asked "He started responding to me differently…"

"Good. Jack, you were leading him on. He doesn't understand human dynamics…"

"What? Of course he does, he said so."

"Jack, you're flirting with him. He doesn't understand, he thinks you want to shag him." Jack's silence troubled Ianto as he scrutinised the man. "Jack, tell me you were just flirting?"

"Well, I can't say I'd have been averse to it…"

"Jack!" Ianto exclaimed. "Do we have a relationship here or don't we?"

"Well, yes…"

"Look, let me clarify something here. When I said I wanted a relationship with you, Jack, I meant it but I'm an old fashioned boy I'm afraid." he glared at Jack, willing the man to take this seriously, "Look, I don't mind you flirting, flirting isn't serious…well, to you its an art form, a hobby. You're a serial flirt, you do it all the time, I've got used to it. But if you want a relationship with me, you need to get something straight. I'm a 21st century guy. I'm human, I'm 26, I've never had a relationship with a man before and I _love _categories! Live by 'em in fact. Get used to it. So if you're going to flirt, you'd better not have any ideas of it going any further than that because I. don't. share!"

"Oh. That's it, is it?" Jack said, frowning. "You, Ianto Jones, are insecure. You're not sure this relationship will work out, so you don't want me to play around, is that it? Because if it is…"

"You're right, I am insecure." Ianto interrupted, stopping Jack in his tracks, "I don't want you to play around because I want you to commit to me, Jack. Properly. You and me, here and now, relationship, got that?" Jack looked at him for a long moment, so long Ianto started to feel as if he might be wanting to back out. "Was I wrong?" Ianto asked hesitantly "Is this too much for you?"

Jack sighed and smiled "No, I just…I forget how things are…This is what I want Ianto, really. I didn't sit at your bedside in hospital worrying that you weren't going to make it for nothing. I'm sorry you feel insecure about it all. I'll try to make it right for you, I'll try to make sure I don't do anything to throw you off balance. Its just, with Ish'na…" Ianto didn't miss the affectionate shortening of the name "…he's…he reminds me of home…of travelling with the doctor. He's good looking, cute, gentle, rather like an alien version of you actually." He grinned and Ianto cuffed him, non too gently. "Ooft, thank you…deserved that I guess, although it was meant as a complement…"

"Jack, if you like him…" Ianto sighed "…it would be selfish of me to deny you the chance with him…"

"Ianto, stop. I don't need him. It was nice, but it's a reminder, not the real thing. You, you're the real thing. I have you here and now and I'm not going to fight with you about some transient visitor. He hasn't got my heart, you have."

Ianto sighed and came over to put his arms round Jack and kiss him. "Thank you." He said "and I'm sorry."

"Let's go to bed…" Jack dragged the younger man towards the bedroom.

"But we've not eaten yet…"

"Hors D'oevres?" Jack said suggestively and pulled Ianto close.

_D Day ~ the following morning from Jack's POV:_  
All that day, he was acting real strange, kinda furtive behind that desk of his. He was late, for one thing. We left the house together and when we arrived, he said he'd forgotten his briefcase and left me to go back for it. Figured he was distracted by the 'discussion' the night before, as well as what followed it. But I am certain he was later than he should have been. He couldn't string going back for his briefcase out for more than an hour, could he?

Gave him his coffee in the morning and I swear he hid something in the desk drawer as I came in then tried to act nonchalant, which didn't work! However, I didn't ask him. Figured he'd tell me if it was anything to do with me, which it obviously wasn't. I went and finished my report on the mission from the previous day then went to talk to Owen about Ish'an, our Sach'ana'ra guest, and how best to make him comfortable.

When I got back Ianto was buried in paperwork and then talking to UNIT on the phone. It was a rather heated conversation, so I left him alone. I took him his coffee a little later, which he barely acknowledged, and then he said, just as I was leaving the room, he wanted to speak to me later, after the others had gone and before we went home. He would make the coffee, he said. That got me wondering. It didn't help when I saw him talking to Tosh and gesturing like he was worried about something. She was shrugging and obviously trying to dissuade him, shaking her head and looking concerned in that sweet way she has.

It began to dawn on me that all was not well when I happened to go up to his door and paused just long enough to hear something I probably shouldn't have. When I knocked, it went quiet, then Ianto called 'come in' and in I went. Tosh was sitting on the sofa looking a little uncomfortable, Ianto smiled (boy, was that a strain for him.) and took my report with overly enthusiastic thanks. He was nervous. "Don't forget I want a word before we go home." he reminded me and that was it, I was dismissed. They waited while I had gone down stairs before resuming their little chat. The thing I heard him say, the thing I shouldn't have, was clear. "I don't know if retcon will work on him, his physiology is different to ours…"

The whole damn situation has put me on edge. I retreated to the archives to do some work. The quiet down here allows me to think, to put things into perspective. I'll wait it out and find out what he want to talk to me about later. I can't say it sounds good though. He's hiding something from me and I don't like it.

_**D Day, Ianto's POV:**_

Jack is impossible and I don't just mean his physiology. I know he lives forever, but this… he's like a wonderful drug that makes you feel amazing, alleviates pain, fear and panic and calms you down, injects you with pleasure and hope and love and you just can't get enough, you're addicted, hopelessly hooked. His charisma is amazing, his courage limitless, his sheer audacity and recklessness are catching, he is gorgeous to look at and he's so…so gentle and affectionate and kind…I know he wasn't always like that, but people change, don't they? This guy has, for the better.

I've made a decision that wasn't easy. I know it is right though. I hope its right for both of us. I deliberately left my briefcase at home, then 'remembered' and left him to go onto the Hub on his own which allowed me to rush back, get it, then head off to my appointment. I don't think he clocked that I was a little later than just collecting my briefcase would have made me, I'm not sure. Still, cannot be helped. He nearly caught me looking though. I know he was suspicious when he delivered my coffee and I had to hide the damn thing in the desk…

UNIT rang asking me what we were going to do with the Sach'ara'na. Frankly, I haven't a clue. Its not like other aliens. He wants asylum, he is almost indistinguishable from a human to look at, but is he going to be OK just fitting in with society? We'll have to monitor him constantly. If ever he's ill, he can't be allowed to go into a normal hospital. I know Jack wants him to be given a home and an identity and help. He maintains that we cannot just be here for humans, otherwise, what are we? Human Supremacists? Other races need help as well and, while we primarily have to maintain the status quo and put our fellow humans first, we need integrity and ethical treatment of non-aggressive races. Why? We need friends, that's why. We need to show that humans are raising themselves up above the bottom-dwelling feeders we sometimes seem to be, showing compassion to those in need. After all, the worst crimes against humans come from other humans. I have to admire him for his compassion. Trouble is, I think he's better at persuasion than I am. I was trying to tell them retcon wouldn't work but I'm not sure they agree and its not a good idea. What are you going to do, make him forget he's an alien?

I asked Tosh for her input and advice because Jack is too close to it. Although I just know, if he finds out, he'll be angry I didn't talk to him. I asked Tosh for her discretion but she's always uncomfortable about going behind anybody else's back. I swear he knew when he came in to deliver the report this afternoon. I anticipate an awkward situation later. He's bound to ask questions. Seemed subdued though.

Frankly, the question I have to ask him is making me nervous. I'm really not going to take rejection very well at this stage….

_**D Day – General POV:**_

Ianto knew something was wrong when Jack didn't say anything to him. He was usually free with his questions and his forthright attitude. Today…something was affecting him, maybe their argument from a few nights ago or the 'discussion' of the previous night? Ianto wondered at Jack's retreat into the archives but got on with work and said nothing. Ianto knew the Sach'ara'na was causing a problem. The alien was benign and there was no way to send it back through the rift. Its home planet was too far away although he also knew that the Doctor might take it back when he next visited, but when that would be was debatable.

He was starting to get nervous and Jack's attitude wasn't helping. He knew the choice he had made would irrevocably change things, hopefully for the better but he wasn't certain Jack would see it that way. It took ages for the clock to roll round and the others to go home but, eventually, there was no getting away with it. The cog door rolled shut on their retreating backs and Ianto went to make the coffee. He called Jack on the comm and told him the others had gone and coffee was waiting. Could he please come up? There was a pause, then agreement, and soon he heard Jack's footsteps on the stairs to his office.

"Jack! How was your day?" Oh God, that sounded too cheery.

"The usual. Talked to Owen about what the Sach'ara'na can eat, cleaned out the SUV, ordered more hot chocolate, did some more filing downstairs…the usual really."

"There's your coffee." Ianto pushed a mug towards him.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. Cut to the chase Ianto, why the cloak and dagger?"

"The…what?" he said faintly.

"Aw, come on, what gives? You've been hiding something all day." His expression changed, his mood darkened "That's what this little _discussion_ is about, isn't it?" Jack eyed him suspiciously.

Ianto sighed "Yes, it is. Jack, sit down."

"I'd prefer to stand." Oh, this was not going well, Ianto thought, hearing his tone. He had probably found out about his conversation with Tosh.

"OK then. I just want you to know I've given this very serious thought. More so since the other night." He felt in his jacket pocket and fiddled with the box there. "I know things haven't been…well, perfect between us recently."

"You can say that again."

"But, well, that's natural, in any relationship, wouldn't you say? I mean, we're exploring new ground, going were we've never gone before."

"OK Captain Kirk, care to tell me where this is going?"

Ianto didn't smile at the quip but took a deep breath and closed his eyes "I can't go on like this." he said, trying to stop a tremor entering his voice "I mean, as we are…"

Jack frowned. Here it comes, he thought. Here comes his justification for a parting of the ways.

"You're a wonderful man, Jack." he kept his eyes on the ground "I consider myself lucky to have known you. I consider myself even luckier that my…regard has been returned. But…" come on, come on, get this over with… For God's sake, find the words…

Jack looked at Ianto as he stood there, struggling with the words. He was tempted to make it hard on him, after all, his heart had begun to ache too. He didn't want to lose what they had, he didn't want to wake up to find himself alone, couldn't bring himself to think what it would be like to let this beautiful young man go.

"Jack? I'm not good at this sort of thing…I can't find the words…"

"Its OK Ianto. I understand." He said gently. "Its not working, is it? You're the Boss, you're under a great deal of pressure," he smiled, "What we had was sweet but I understand if you feel it can't let it go any further. You and me, we're very different…"

Ianto looked up, eyes wide, horror stuck "Oh God! Jack, no, no, that isn't what I meant…!" he stuttered "Oh no, please! Don't think that…I…Jack, listen to me!" he fumbled a box out of his pocket and looked desperately at the man before him "Jack." he took a deep breath and let it out shakily, then awkwardly took Jack's hand in his "I don't want to end this." He said softly "I want to make it more permanent…" and he went down on one knee in front of his surprised lover. "I'm not good at this…" he laughed nervously, fumbled open the small box "I…I want to say…Jack," their eyes locked, Jack's surprised, Ianto's anxious. "Will you…do me the honour…Jack, will you marry me?"

There were several anxious seconds where Ianto felt certain beyond a doubt he had just made a big fool of himself and that Jack would reject him out of hand and then, then he felt those warm hands on his shoulders, lifting him, bringing him to his feet in a strong embrace that squeezed the breath out of him and Jack's breath was in his ear and his lips on his and his eyes, oh his eyes, shining, warm, loving and one word on his lips, one word that Ianto would hear ringing round his head for days and weeks and months to come "Yes." then Jack kissed him, hard, and when they broke apart for air, Ianto opened the box and took out the white gold signet ring, pushed it onto the third finger of Jack's left hand. Jack looked at it, the initials JH and IJ inscribed entwined in a monogram. "Oh Ianto, its beautiful. How the hell did you know the size?"

Ianto smiled "The Bekaran scanner." he said "It records body measurements, even down to the size of your…" he paused, grinning "…fingers, among other things. Accurate to a thousandth of a millimetre."

Jack laughed "Could clear up a dispute then?" he suggested with a leer and Ianto thumped him. "So when are we going to tie the knot?"

"When do you want to?"

"If we don't do it soon, we never will. How about as soon as we can arrange it then?"

"OK, why not? We'll go to the registry office tomorrow." Ianto said happily.

"I really thought you wanted to end it." Jack said wonderingly, sipping his coffee. He had perched himself on Ianto's desk "You sure I'm not going to find you've retconned this so I don't remember you asking?"

Ianto laughed "No Jack, not on your life. I really thought you were going to say no there for a moment though."

"I was stunned." Jack said in defence "Shocked to the core. I never thought…not for a minute, that you were going to ask me to marry you!"

"You don't mind? I mean, you don't mind that it was this way round, me asking you?"

"No, of course not. I'm just surprised, I thought you weren't up for a commitment."

"I wasn't. Then when you shot me…I got to thinking. Life is too short, for me that is. I can't waste time, or afford to miss anything special. I would only regret it and die old and bitter if I let you go. Can't do that Jack, I won't. I want you, more than anyone I've ever met. I want to wake up next to you for the rest of my life, I want put a ring on your finger and to say the words in front of witnesses. I want us to be together, for however long that might be…I love you, Jack."

"I love you too." and Jack Harkness admitted it then, admitted it not just to Ianto but to himself, right there, faced with the greatest gift he had ever let anyone give him. People had wanted to marry him (one or two had even managed it), they had wanted to love him, some more deeply than he knew, but he had never let anyone get so close, until now. Now the doors to his heart opened frighteningly wide to let Ianto in, despite the inevitable pain he knew would hit him when Ianto died, despite the agony of losing him, Jack knew he couldn't live without him right there and then.

They went home, unable to keep their hands off each other, even right there in the street. Three times they stopped to kiss, Jack pulled Ianto into an alleyway, Ianto tugged Jack behind a parked van, Jack dragged Ianto behind some bushes. They reached home at a run, breathless, laughing, groping each other shamelessly.

Ianto fumbled the key in the lock and Jack reached out to steady him with a warm hand. He paused, looking deeply into his lover's eyes and saw only love in them, possessive, gentle, timeless. Then they were through the door and shedding clothes, popping buttons in haste, kicking shoes and boots off. Jack dragged Ianto into his arms for a bruising kiss, teeth colliding, tongues tangling together in their need to taste each other. Firey kisses landed on neck and shoulder, teeth nipped and nibbled, biting possessively. Lips sought skin. Hands roamed and stroked and teased and held and coaxed…

Breathless, they lay in each other's arms not long after, sweat cooling on heated skin. Drowsily, Ianto lay with his head on Jack's shoulder, steady heart beat in his ear.

"I would be have to be a fool to abandon this." he murmured.

"Well, thank god one of us isn't a fool." Jack replied, his voice lazy and tinged with lust. "To think I thought you wanted to retcon me and finish it all."

"You would. You always jump to conclusions, usually the wrong ones."

"I'll have you know my judgement has served me fine until now."

"That's what love does for you, it screws with your mind."

"Its my body that wants screwing." Jack grinned, watching Ianto smother a mighty yawn. "Go to sleep Mr Harkness-Jones." he said, bringing the bedclothes up over the younger man's shoulders. Ianto smiled "That sounds nice." He said "Ianto Harkness-Jones." Jack held him close, kissing his hair until he felt him relax into slumber, head resting in the crook of Jack's arm. He lost himself in sleep for a while, not needing it but content to doze with the warm body beside him. Mr Harkness-Jones, it had a nice ring to it. God, he was going to get married…he wondered how the rest of the team would react, not to mention Ianto's family… Smiling, he realised he didn't care. They would find out tomorrow.

"You know…" Ianto was adjusting his tie in the hall mirror the following morning "…I would have liked to see their faces, when I proposed to you…"

"Why don't we shock them and do it all over again this morning…?" Jack suggested. Ianto looked horrified "I don't know if I could…"

"Why not? If you're nervous about acting, it'll only look like you're nervous about asking me."

"Oh, yes, well…" he grinned "Give me the ring back then…" and he took it off Jack's finger and put it in its box, dropping it in his pocket "…when you make coffee this morning…serve me first then stay with the others."

"Anything you say Sir." Jack said with a grin as they left for work.

When Jack went to make the coffee mid-morning Ianto watched him from the office and felt the familiar nervous tingle again. It was just as if he was about to do this for the first time. He wondered at that, then realised that he had no clue if Jack wouldn't do something daft and make a fool out of him…In trepidation almost as great as it had been the previous night Ianto left the office as Jack came back in with the tray. On cue, Ianto Jones enters stage right, he thought.

"Everyone, may I have your attention please." Ianto stood near Tosh and then called "Owen, could you get in here as well?" Grumbling, Owen turned up at the autopsy room door and looked across in his direction. "Jack, would you please put the tray down." Ianto stepped towards him and looked into the blue eyes. "Jack, I've given this a lot of thought. I know the rest of you are curious to know what I'm going to do, I just wanted you to witness this. I hope you don't mind. I know what I'm about to do changes a lot of things, probably forever, but…well," he took a deep breath and got down on one knee, offering the box towards Jack. "Jack Harkness, would you please do me the honour of marrying me? Be my husband Jack…?"

Tosh and Gwen both gasped, Owen's face was a picture, he nearly dropped his coffee.

Jack hesitated. Bastard, Ianto thought, waiting with a worried frown. Then Jack took the box and opened it, looked at the ring inside. Then he smiled and handed it to Ianto who slipped it on the third finger of his left hand. "Yes Sir" he said gently and drew Ianto to his feet in a hug. They kissed passionately and both Gwen and Tosh squealed in delight and engulfed them in a group hug. Owen muttered and waited, offering a hand to each of them to shake.

"I suppose I should offer you congratulations" he said, with a crooked smile.

"Thank you." Jack said and Ianto nodded.

"When's the big day then?" Gwen asked and Tosh batted her, saying "They won't have decided that yet, he's only just asked!"

"As soon as we can arrange it." Ianto said looking deeply into Jack's eyes. Jack smiled and hugged him, admiring the ring on his hand.

"You've got to call the registry office." Tosh said gently.

"Owen?" Jack said gently.

"What?"

Jack looked at Ianto and grinned "Best man?" he suggested and grinning, Ianto nodded. "Owen, would you honour us both by agreeing to be the Best Man?"

"What, me?" Owen stared at them. "Oh God, everybody will think I'm Gay!" he groaned. "Look guys, ordinarily I'd love to, but weddings are for two things, getting pissed and pulling a bird, and as _your_ Best Man, the only thing I'll be able to do is to get pissed!" Jack roared with laughter and Ianto shook his head as the Doctor shrugged and downed his coffee. He looked at them and shook his head "OK, OK, I'll do it." He said with a wry smile and disappeared into the autopsy room. "I doubt your wedding is going to be overflowing with available _women_ anyway..."

"Tosh, Gwen, would you like to be bridesmaids?" Ianto asked them.

"Stop me if I'm wrong but where's the bride?" Gwen smiled "You know, if we're 'bridesmaids', technically, we need a bride to be the maids of…?"

"Ah. Right. Good point. Well, what can you be then?"

"Attendants!" Tosh announced "How's that?"

"Tosh, I do not want to sound like I'm looking after the ladies' loo!" Gwen admonished.

"Well, you come up with something then." Tosh complained. "Whatever it is Guys, we'd love to." She accepted before Gwen could change her mind. "We'll come up with a name for it later."

Jack smiled as he and Ianto went into the office. He looked at his boss and soon-to-be-husband and found himself grinning stupidly "That went well." He said and watched Ianto's grin as the younger man collapsed into his chair behind the desk. The phone rang and Ianto picked it up.

"Ah, Captain Williams, yes. I was meaning to call but something came up last night…Yes of course. I'll have someone send you the information as soon as we can collate it. Pleasure…goodbye."

"UNIT called and you didn't yell down the phone?"

"So, I'm happy. I'm going to be married, didn't you know? To this gorgeous guy I know at work…"

"Lucky you." Jack grinned at him. "How about that raise you promised me?"

"I wasn't aware…"

"Sure you are, we talked about it last month."

"We did, did we?"

"Yeah, we did. You said that such a reliable, sexy, charismatic person such as myself deserved it…"

"I'm sure I would have remembered."

"Ah well, it was worth a try, seeing as how you're so happy you seem to have forgotten how to deal with UNIT. Just thought I might have slid that one past you as well!"

Ianto grinned. "Just don't want to spoil my day with objectionable phone calls." He looked at Jack "Which reminds me, UNIT need the information file on the Sach'ara'na sent over. The Brigadier has requested it. Can I leave it with you? Give you a job to do…"

"Thanks, as if I don't do enough already."

"Jack, I am still your boss, even if we are getting married. Off you go."

"Yes Sir."

"And Jack, as you are the one lobbying for its release and integration, you might be more persuasive than me." He smiled "Go do some proper work."

_**Next…the marrying kind…a civil ceremony looms which, knowing Torchwood's reputation for weddings, may not go according to plan. Reviews welcome as always...  
**_


	12. Marry Me a Little pt 1

**Disclaimer: Characters owned by RTD and the BBC. I don't own any of it, except maybe the idea for the story, etc. etc. etc., no infringement of copyright intended, no money being made, etc, etc. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. **

**Warning: Explicit, M for adult theme (later). **

_Here we go! I grovel before you, I am a naughty girl, I haven't updated for such a long time. Hey, I'm a real author now, I have to do this stuff for real! Actually, if it wasn't for Fanfiction, I wouldn't be doing this stuff for real anyway, so I must remember to update to show my appreciation to everyone who has ever reviewed. Without you guys, I wouldn't have even thought there was a good reason to send something off to a publisher. You can thank the loving pestering from Deemama66 for this too…love you Cariad._

**So, here it is…The Civil Ceremony which is anything but civil. **

_**Warning that this chapter is quite short, but the next bit will be up very soon in the next few days, I just have to tweak it. **_

**The Beginning….**

Jack paced the floor across the bay window, looking out at the wind blustering through the trees in the garden. The house was cold, not having been lived in for months. They were sitting in what Jack referred to as the television room, because a large flat screen LCD television dominated one wall and soft leather sofas were scattered about. Owen was nursing a beer and contemplating a stack of DVDs on the coffee table, trying to decide which one was safest to watch.

"For Gods sake, you'll wear a track in the carpet!" He looked at Jack who ignored him "Jack!" he repeated and the man stopped and glanced his way, guiltily.

"Sorry…Its just…I'm nervous, OK?"

Owen grinned "This from the man who has faced down some of the worst scum of the Universe." He swigged his beer and looked at Jack where he standing staring out of the window. "Jack, you're allowed to be nervous, this is a life changing event. Why don't you call him? Say goodnight or something?"

"Yeah, right…" Jack flipped out his mobile and hit the speed dial. It went straight to voicemail. "Damn, Ianto, if you get this, please ring. Just wanted to say goodnight before I hit the sack…" Jack paused "Love you…" He shut the phone with a snap.

"Call his home, isn't he with his folks tonight?"

"Yeah, could do…" Jack looked at the time. Then he dialled. There was a momentary pause and Jack paced again before the phone was picked up.

"Ianto?….oh, sorry Rhiannon, is Ianto there?…..right….no, I just…no…I just wanted to hear his voice, that's all….yeah, a bit….thanks…. yes, thank you. Goodnight…." And he shut the phone again. "He's gone out. Johhny's taken him to the Legion…" he sounded disappointed and Owen frowned.

"The Foreign Legion? What's matter, couldn't wait to get away from you?"

Jack laughed despite himself "The Club? Working Men's Club." He sighed and slumped into a sofa and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"Jack, its supposed to be the best day of your life mate. What's wrong?"

Jack sighed. He frowned and closed his eyes "I'm nervous and I'm missing him and I'm worried something will happen…"

"Jack, chill. Tom Milligan and the UNIT lads have got our backs. You need to relax mate, have a beer!" and Owen pushed an open bottle towards him. Jack picked it up and took a long pull from it, leaning back and looking at the blank screen.

"So, what are we watching then?"

"Dunno, Blair Witch? 28 Days Later? Pet Cemetery?"

"How about The Great Escape? Misery? Psycho?" Jack grinned. "Escape from Alcatraz? Independence Day? Big Trouble in Little Cardiff…"

Owen laughed. "What's the matter, is this a hint that you want to run away?"

"I want to, hard and fast. Not going to…just…." He shrugged. "Wanna be anywhere but where I am…"

"Don't let Ianto hear that."

"God no, he's nervous enough as it is."

Owen smiled and pulled a DVD out of the stack "Love Actually? Four Weddings and a Funeral?"

"Funny man…" Jack grimaced.

"I know, Brief Encounter."

Jack cuffed him, non too gently on the back of his head. "Ow, what was that for…?"

"As if you didn't know."

"Harvey?"

Jack shuddered "Nope, had enough of 8ft rabbits to last me a lifetime, several lifetimes to be exact…"

Owen frowned and shrugged and decided to ignore that one. "Fair enough. It's a Beautiful Life? Matter of Life and Death? God, Jack, what is this, you stuck in the 1940's with your favourite films as well as your clothes?"

"I like them…" he tailed off.

"How about Flatliners?"

Jack shuddered "A little close to home?"

"How so?"

"Duh, coming back from the dead?"

"Right….here we go. This is a classic…." And Owen flicked the DVD control and placed the disc in the drawer. The opening credits came up and Jack groaned.

"Owen…Highlander?"

"There can be only one…" he intoned and collapsed laughing.

"I am not watching that." Jack complained. "Besides, that song always makes me wanna cry…"

"What song?" Owen paused. "Oh…that one, sorry…" and he switched it off and rummaged through the pile again, eventually coming up with something more forgettable and innocuous.

The phone rang as Jack was dozing in the chair. Owen had passed out on the sofa and Jack had carried him upstairs to one of the bedrooms and rolled him into the large double bed without undressing him. He would call by later and wake him enough to get him settled. So much for being the Best Man. Jack grabbed the phone and hit the call button.

"Jack?"

Jack sat bolt upright and gasped "Ianto?"

"You OK?"

"I am now you've phoned."

"What's wrong?"

"Just missing you, that's all."

"Missing you too. Was thinking about you all evening."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Me too."

"You? Never."

"Yeah, me too. Look Ianto, I'm not used to this. I just don't want to let anyone down…"

"You won't, Cariad. Look, Jack, I love you. We're doing right with this…aren't we?"

Jack sighed "Yes, yes we are. I want this so badly…"

"Then believe in us Jack, believe in love. Love in any form always beat the dark, isn't that what you're always saying? So believe it Jack, now more than ever. How's Owen, not handcuffed you naked to a tree in Inverary then?"

"I think he doesn't know where that is…not sure I do come to that?"

"Scotland…"

"Hell no, he couldn't handcuff himself at the moment, never mind drive…"

"Good, I want you on time tomorrow or I will die of nervous exhaustion."

"I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good…well…" Jack heard a stifled yawn, "I'd better get some sleep anyway…don't want to go…."

"But you have to. Take care of yourself…Sir, for me. Go sleep."

"Yes Jack." he said gently and Jack shivered. "Love you. Rwy'n dy garu di, Cariad. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ianto, thanks for ringing…I'll sleep better now."

"I know, that's why I rang Sweetheart. Now go to bed…"

"Yes Sir!" Jack replied and blew a kiss down the phone.

Ianto laughed and blew one back, then he said, "Goodnight Jack. Pleasant dreams." And the phone went dead.

Jack went to bed, after rousing Owen enough to make him drink a pint of water and get undressed before ushering him back beneath the covers again. The sheets were cool on his skin as Jack slid into his own bed, lying back and wondering how the hell he had come to this…how the hell had he come to something that he wanted so much it hurt? Smiling, he closed his eyes. Mere moments later, or so it seemed, he was waking up seeing the first rays of sun through the curtains and wondering why he had slept so late…the clock said 5:45am. Which was late for him.

This was the Big Day then…

_**Here we go then, more very soon, promise...**_


	13. Marry Me a Little pt 2

**Disclaimer: Characters owned by RTD and the BBC. I don't own any of it, except maybe the idea for the story, etc. etc. etc., no infringement of copyright intended, no money being made, etc, etc. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental.**

**I don't think there is anything to worry about in this chapter...**

OK, so I'm posting two chapters close together. This is the shorter one and both are the product of work between Krekta and myself. It began life as a dual POV work, and I have adapted it to be third person. So, this one is for Krekta. Thank you, Cariad, I hope you like it.

[So much for me posting this soon…oh the joys of being a real writer…deadlines….]

**The Wedding Day Arrives ~**

Jack looked at the suit he was planning to wear as it hung on the back of the wardrobe door and hoped Ianto would like it. It was a bit Pre-Raphaelite thinking about it. He got changed and stood in front of the mirror. _Hmm, not bad._ Frilled cream shirt, cravat, purple velvet waistcoat, black Victorian-style frock coat and matching trousers. Rossetti would have approved. Good old Dante Gabriel. Once he had showered and changed he caught sight of himself in the mirror again. _Hells Bells. Actually Harkness, you look great_, he thought, admiring his reflection, then smiled. _Only hope your fiancé thinks the same…_

"Jack, car's here!" Owen's shout reached Jack's ears as he was tying his cravat. No more time to think. Jack got outside to find a wonderful cream-coloured 1950s vintage Bentley waiting for them, decked in wedding ribbons. "Tosh, I could kiss you," Jack said "I will, later. This is fantastic…" Jack grinned at Owen who was openly admiring the vehicle and talking to the driver. The car was one of those with the quality of engine that ran almost silently, the cushioned elegance of its interior a testament to the fact that they don't make them like that any more. Well, actually, they do, but Jack knew you had to pay for the privilege these days and go on a six year waiting list or something. Doubtless he could afford one, but why? There was never any need for it in the life he led, although he could maybe afford an SUV of his own_. Our own, that should be, _he thought_, soon anyway._

"I would have preferred to drive myself, you know." Jack muttered as they set off. He knew Ianto would have had a fit had he suggested it though.

"It isn't traditional." Owen said. "Besides, it's a means to ensure the groom makes it safely to church. Ianto would kill you if you didn't arrive on time, let alone in one piece. Worse, he would kill me."

One of the main reasons why Jack would have preferred to drive himself was simple. Driving would have taken his mind off thinking about the ceremony ahead. He tried not to think about the Rift or the Hub either and figured this was one day the universe could do without him saving it. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. He tried to convince himself that other people were quite as competent, the UNIT team Ianto had commandeered to stand in for them would manage and Ianto would kill him if real life intervened.

"Oh, my God," Ianto said as he stood on the doorstep looking at the car that had pulled up in front of his sister's house. It was a 1920's Rolls, in blue. The chauffeur stepped out and walked round to greet them, holding the car door open. Ianto waited while Rhiannon locked the house and then he and his sister both got into the rear of the vehicle. Johnny and the kids had gone on ahead, thankfully. Rhiannon was secretly relieved that the gorgeous car wouldn't be subjected to the attentions of her kids. Tosh, Gwen and Rhys were already on their way too; they'd called ahead of their departure to wish both Ianto and Jack a safe journey.

The interior of the car was luxurious; cream leather, walnut panelling, ivory trimmings. Ianto settled back and breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally on his way to becoming a husband. Rhiannon was gazing out of the window. The neighbours were all gawping at the car. There could be no doubt in their minds, the Jones boy was getting married, and judging by the cars he was marrying into money. Either that or he had won the lottery and hadn't told any of them about it.

The driver introduced himself as Barry and took the time to explain where all the comfort gadgets were and how they worked. He told them how the company had adapted the vehicles they hired to make them extra special; he was obviously proud of working for what he claimed was "the premier wedding car hire service of South Wales". He was also very relaxed and informal, using his comedic patter to relax them both. Ianto didn't doubt his claims about the company, Tosh had done them proud finding the firm. Ianto suspected she'd even selected the driver especially for him. Knowing her she might even have interviewed them all personally.

Rhi' settled back for the ride, she was in her element and was going to enjoy the luxury. Barry made sure the departure from their neighbourhood was slow enough for all the bystanders to get a good look at the car and the well-dressed passengers in it. Rhi' revelled in the attention and Ianto smiled as he watched his sister. She got little enough chance to do this and he made his mind up to see she got more opportunities in the future.

The Bentley wound its way through the narrow Welsh lanes towards St Briavels (pronounced Brevels for some reason, lazy people probably, Jack thought) and Jack checked and rechecked his pockets for the words and asked Owen for the sixth time if he had the ring. Owen told Jack to shut up on the fifth because he'd shown him four times already. The Bentley finally rolled to a halt outside the enormous gate house of the 12th century edifice and they got out into the cold air of the beautiful autumn day, the driver holding the door open for them.

Tosh was suddenly there to meet them with two button holes, a white rose for each of them. She smiled radiantly and Jack saw Owen grin back with an admiring glance. She fussed with the flowers until they were just right, then hugged them both. "You both look fine," she said, with a wistful smile. She was dressed in a beautifully tailored lilac suit and a rather fetching feather fascinator in her hair. She had organised the whole shebang, everything right down to the cars and the flowers and the cake, the music and the venue. Jack kissed her warmly and asked if Ianto had arrived but she shook her head and said not. After reassuring Jack that he must be on his way, she shooed them inside and they were met with Mickey acting as Usher. He showed them both to the room that had been set aside for the ceremony and introduced them to the registrar and Jack set about confirming the details that were needed about their full names and their parents' names and god knew what else.

Tosh had worked her magic and given Jack a full family tree, so the Harknesses were an old English family from Hackness, which was apparently somewhere near Scarborough—Jack had never been to Yorkshire and no way was he adopting a Yorkshire accent for anyone but he couldn't deny it was a good paper trail. "This is good, Tosh," he had praised her. "Apparently my parents moved to America in the 1960's which explains my accent and I'm from Chicago?" Jack had laughed and said it sounded sufficiently good as a history to fool anyone anyway.

The guests were still arriving so Jack and Owen took their places in the front seats and waited. Jack was anxiously risking looks back over his shoulder to see if Ianto was there yet and wondering if he was going to get there unscathed. They had decided on no entrance music because that would imply Ianto was the wife and they'd decided not to go there. Jack appreciated how hard it would be to avoid that epithet anyway and he didn't want anyone labelling either of them that way. He hated labels.

Martha arrived, waved at Jack and took her seat, looking good in her pale grey suit. Johnny and the kids were there, the little ones looking smart (which would last for as long as it took to start eating). But Jack didn't register the sea of faces, the only one he was surprised at was the Doctor, who was sitting directly behind him.

"Looking good, Jack," he murmured and grinned. "Mr Jones is a lucky man…"

"So am I…" Jack heard himself respond and was about to ask who had invited him when suddenly _he_ was there and Jack couldn't see anybody else but him. He found his heart was almost literally in his mouth, Ianto looked so gorgeous. That suit, Victorian in style, a frock coat in very dark purple? Dark red waistcoat and cravat; Jack's mouth watered at the sight of him. Then Ianto locked eyes on Jack and his gaze raked up and down, surprised, openly admiring. Jack smiled and so did Ianto and Jack's heart melted. Rhiannon was walking with him, he had asked his sister to be his companion, like Owen was Jack's. Tosh and Gwen stood behind …attendants, or flower girls, or whatever title they had eventually come up with.

Jack watched Ianto and his sister as they walked down the aisle between the chairs and stood on his left, Tosh and Gwen falling in behind them, then the Registrar asked Ianto to confirm his name and he stepped up to do so. Jack looked at the wonderful man beside him and wondered at the fact that they were there at last. He was also aware that if it wasn't for good friends they wouldn't be there at all. Then the Registrar asked them to step forward and suddenly it was all real and they were saying the words and were actually going through with it all. For Jack, reality set in with a bang. _It's funny how it catches you, _Jack thought, _all of a sudden it's real, it's happening and there's no going back, it's as if you never realised before this moment that this would actually happen. And now it is. And it's terrifying and exhilarating and elating all at once._

The Registrar faced the men and welcomed them both. Then he addressed everyone else. "I would like to welcome you all here today on this very special occasion of deep significance for Jack and Ianto. Today they will affirm their love and publicly declare their commitment to each other. This place in which you are now met has been duly sanctioned according to law for the registration of civil partnerships. You are here to witness the formation of a civil partnership by Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones. If any person here present knows of any impediment to this civil partnership, he or she should declare it now."

Jack held his breath. He wasn't completely sure nothing would happen. This was a Torchwood wedding after all, no matter what Ianto said about it. Jack was pleased to see the Doctor there—Martha had obviously managed to contact him—but trouble followed him like a magnet. There was a pause that seemed to go on for hours, then Jack let the breath go as the Registrar opened his mouth to continue.

A voice chose that moment to ring across the gathering, a strident accusing voice that Jack had hoped never to hear again.

"Actually, I do. I'm hurt, Jack, you haven't called me in months!"

Jack froze, looked at Ianto in horror, and turned as John Hart came striding own the aisle towards them.


	14. Marry Me a Little pt 3

**Disclaimer: Characters owned by RTD and the BBC. I don't own any of it, except maybe the idea for the story, etc. etc. etc., no infringement of copyright intended, no money being made, etc, etc. Most especially I don't own John Donne's poem, written over 500 years ago and one of the most beautiful I know (although I haven't used the full version here). Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is also purely coincidental.**

**This is another part of the ceremony as worked on by my best mate Krekta and myself. Ianto's part is almost purely hers so thank you, cariad, for allowing me to adapt this. A twist in the tail is coming up and this might well be the final part of the tale, apart from the honeymoon, if there is one... Well, if I have to maintain the suspense, do I not? **

**Warning **for the usual, although this one is fairly safe….please bear in mind this is an AU and John Hart is not the same either…nothing is the same in my AU's… thankfully…

_I offer my own congratulations to Gareth David Lloyd and Gemma by the way. If anyone doesn't know, they got married on the 1__st__ November this year. If you want to see the photos, check out his website or facebook for the links and leave a note of congrats._

**One Wedding, with nearly a funeral…**

"Damn it, John, what the hell are you doing here?" Jack was horrified. So far as Jack knew, nobody knew about John Hart, never mind what he meant to Jack. Correction. What he _had_ meant to Jack. That was too long ago…

"Jack, Jack…" Hart drawled, stepping up close to him, "calm down, lover. I'm not here to cause trouble." He grinned at the confused Registrar and shrugged. "We've not seen each other in _such_ a long time," he explained to the puzzled man and to Jack he murmured "I cannot believe you didn't tell me you were getting hitched, that's all." Without preamble, John leaned in and kissed Jack soundly, wrapping his arms round his ex-lover and hugging tightly. "Goddess, I've missed you," he whispered in Jack's ear.

"Well, I haven't missed you!" Jack hissed, extricating himself from John's arms, indignation radiating from him. "What's more, I don't recall having your number…" he snapped, "Now will you please get out of here? We're through, done with. I told you years ago…"

"Jack, please…" John's tone turned serious, pleading. If there was one thing John Hart did not do, it was plead. Something was off...

"No, John, not now, not like this." Jack's hackles were raised, his alarm bells ringing. John's behaviour was certainly not typical of the conman he used to know. "This is my wedding day and you are not about to ruin it! You hear me?" he growled softly. "You are not going to be allowed to ruin this for me like you ruined everything else." Jack was angry, on so many levels. He saw Ianto make a small gesture with one hand and realised with a shock that several people in the audience had been poised to draw weapons. They backed down, but remained on alert.

"You have no idea how close you just came to being shot," Ianto murmured to John, low enough not to be heard by anyone. He turned smoothly and said "Sorry, everyone," and to the Registrar he said "So sorry, emotional reunion, might we have a moment?" The man nodded and asked if they would like to step outside. They did, Ianto apologising adroitly to the audience who were left to wait patiently. Jack noticed that Owen, Gwen and Tosh stepped close to the door even though they didn't follow. The Doctor had a puzzled look on his face and calmly rose from his seat as Jack and Ianto lead the way outside. Martha looked positively livid.

"Introduce me?" Ianto said calmly as they stepped outside. Jack whirled on John and would have punched him, but Ianto caught his arm. "Jack, not today." He smiled reassuringly and let his future husband go. Then he turned calmly to John and smiled, "I'll perform the introductions then, shall I? John Hart, rogue Time Agent, one time partner to Jack Harkness, psychotic and unstable, approach with caution. Am I correct?"

John grinned at him and stuck out a hand. "And what's your name, Eye Candy?"

Ianto shook the offered hand formally and said quietly "Ianto Jones, Head of Torchwood Three."

Jack just looked on incredulously. "How do you…?"

"Torchwood 1 and John Hart have a history," Ianto said, a cold edge to his voice, although he was keeping it reasonable, "You never mentioned him, the records stated any relationship you once had was well and truly over, so I didn't pry. You've never asked me about previous relationships so I never saw a reason to quiz you in return. However, like you, I thought he was hopefully in some distant galaxy far, far away…"

"Well, Obi Wan Kenobi or whatever your name is, I'm not."

"As I can see." There was a tension between the three men that could probably have been sliced with a knife.

"John, please. Ianto and I are getting married," Jack pleaded with him. Trouble was, Jack wasn't certain that there was a better nature to plead with.

"I think I can see that!" John retorted. "It's a little obvious!"

"It's what we both want and I am not going to let you ruin it. How the hell did you find out? Come to that, how the hell did you get in here?"

"Perception filter." He waggled his wrist with its vortex manipulator. "As to how I knew, The Shadow Proclamation intercepted a rather interesting temporal message to the doctor. Couldn't believe it when I heard…Jack, I'm hurt you didn't even try to tell me."

"And how was I going to do that? It's not like I've got your number…"

"You might have tried your vortex manipulator…"

"It's no good for long distance, you ought to know that…"

"You could have sent something…bounced it out there and asked for it to be forwarded…?"

"And have the scum of the universe turn up on my doorstep? I don't think so, thank you. The Proclamation isn't the only group who can intercept messages. After all, I'm still wanted by the Agency, or had that slipped your notice?"

"The Agency's disbanded, Jack, there are only seven of us left. Next to useless."

"Disbanded?"

"Oh yes, The Shadow Proclamation gave them an ultimatum. Stop meddling or suffer the consequences. And you and I both know what they were going to say to that." Jack paused, trying to assimilate what he had just been told. "You said…you said the Shadow Proclamation had intercepted the message…How in hell did you find out?"

"Ah…knew you were going to ask me about that…"

"He works for them." The familiar voice interjected and they all turned to see the Doctor standing at the door, Martha just behind him. He murmured to her and she nodded, tight lipped, and then vanished from sight.

"Me? I'm a trader now…" John began.

"Con-man you mean…" Jack interrupted.

"Actually, he's been working as a freelance agent for the Shadow Proclamation for a while now. Haven't you, Captain?" John shrugged, then sighed heavily and nodded once. "Quite the law abiding citizen now, aren't we?"

"Okay, okay, you got me. I'm a changed man, Jack, and it's all your fault."

"My fault? You were always a loose cannon, John. I had nothing to do with that."

"No, Jack, you didn't, but you had a lot to do with how I turned out. I'm legit now, well, when I'm not undercover for the Proclamation, that is."

"You, undercover? The only covers you like getting under are bed covers," Jack scoffed.

"Strange as it may sound, he's telling the truth , Jack." The Doctor ratified John's statement and shrugged as Jack glared at him. "Sorry, but the man isn't lying to you. Of course, I still wouldn't trust him, wouldn't touch him with a barge pole. Wouldn't touch him with somebody else's barge pole either, for that matter, but the point is—," he ignored John's glare "—he isn't lying."

"Thank you for nothing, Mr Timelord…" John retorted.

"Hey, that's "Doctor" to you, Captain…"

"Alright People…" Ianto cut across their arguing abruptly. "Let's keep it civil, shall we? Might I remind you, we're in the middle of a very important ceremony? _Our_ very important ceremony."

"And we are going to go back in there and continue and you—," Jack fumed at John, "—are going to keep your mouth shut, or so help me, I'll…"

"Jack, please, get a hold of yourself, cariad. Now is not the time." Ianto laid a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder and turned to John. "How did you get here? Are you working for them right now?"

"No, as it happens. I've… been here a while. Earth's a great place for that if you know where to go. There are loads of places that don't ask questions." John's voice was suspiciously cagey.

"Your VM is broken, isn't it?" Jack guessed. "Otherwise you wouldn't choose to stay on this _mudball_. That's always been your opinion of earth and I doubt it's changed very much so I surmise that you can't leave." He punctuated the last three words by poking John's chest with his finger.

"Holmes and Watson is it now?" John said dryly. Then he sighed heavily. "Okay, okay. I admit it, it's broken…burnt out actually. I'm waiting for a Proclamation transport to give me a lift but they keep putting me off, telling me they don't have the available man power to come all the way out here to pick me up." He sounded bitter. "I know one of the people in communications and they told me about the message the last time I called in to see why they hadn't sent me the transport."

"So, why d'you never try to get in touch earlier? We could have helped you."

"Because, you and me, we were….not in the best of places with each other, were we? Why would you have even bothered to help me? We hated each other, didn't we? Not sure if we still don't. And Torchwood and I don't have the best of histories. Look, Jack, I came because I heard you two were…you know…I just wanted to see you for old times' sake…I mean, I really _have_ missed you." There was a wistful expression in the man's eyes. "Sorry, Jack…I'll take myself off. My apologies, Ianto…" He gave a little formal bow.

"Bullshit, John, you're manipulating again…" Jack said gently.

"Ouch, that's harsh, coming from you."

"I'm right!" Jack snapped. "You always do this. You manipulate people's feelings and then you take advantage. I was a con-man remember? Takes one to know one."

"You were a hard act to follow, I'll give you that," John grinned. "Okay, okay, maybe I…use the situation to my advantage…sometimes, but I'm a changed man, Jack. I'm not the man I used to be. I told you…"

"Bullshit, John, you can't help yourself…"

"So you're saying a person can't change? Look at you, Jack, you're a changed man. From con-man to devoted lover?" John glared at him. "You're so damn sure nobody else can change but you, aren't you? That's not fair, Harkness, and you know it!" The two men faced each other angrily, neither willing to back down.

"Captain Hart," Ianto broke into the confrontation, his voice calm, his manner authoritative. "I'd like to suggest a solution. Jack, let's give the man a chance, eh?"

"What? You have to be joking? He'll cause mayhem, first chance he gets…"

"Jack, this is our day, we can afford to be a little generous. And if he doesn't behave—," Ianto's voice dropped menacingly "—I'll kill him myself. However, if we talk nicely…_and you behave.._.we might persuade the Doctor here to give you a lift somewhere." The Doctor nodded.

"Don't see why not. I'll drop you off with the proclamation if you like. Could drop you off anywhere else for that matter, you name it."

"Of course, any sign of misbehaving and I'll have our UNIT lads tie you up so tight you won't know what day it is," Ianto growled.

Inevitably, John grinned and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Promises, promises…" he looked at Ianto, "Eye Candy there looks like he could administer punishment very…inventively. You're a lucky man, Jack… Okay, I promise, I'll behave." He held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"I'm not taking any chances. I'm assigning you a minder," Ianto said, coolly. He ducked back inside, coming back a few moments later with a uniformed UNIT sergeant. "This is Mr Hart," Ianto said, indicating John to the man, who nodded in acknowledgement. "I want you to baby sit him for the rest of the ceremony, do not let him out of your sight, not even to pee. He's manipulative, mentally unstable and sexually irrepressible. Do not let him kiss you,"—Jack noticed the man's askance expression at that suggestion and smirked—"one of his tricks is wearing paralysing lip gloss, if I remember the files correctly. So, do not let him touch you or otherwise manipulate you, got that? If he tries, you have my permission to use a stun gun on him." He turned to John, smiling. "If you want a ticket off this planet, I suggest you stay well-behaved or you'll find out just how good I can be at administering punishment. And I promise you, it won't be of the pleasurable variety…" he grabbed the man by his collar and drew close. "If you behave, you can stay, dance the night away, stuff yourself at our expense and we'll even find you a bed for the night, assuming you don't manage that all by yourself. However, if you do anything out of order, you step over the line by as much as a millimetre and you will find yourself lost in UNIT's very capable hands, one of their detention facilities ought to do it. Small cells, no amenities, throw away the key and if they remember to feed you, you'll be lucky… You get the picture?" John nodded, unusually subdued, trying to look convinced. The Doctor had a smirk on his face. Jack was positively in awe of Ianto's assertiveness. "Now, we've wasted enough time." Ianto declared. "We go back in there as though you were the best person Jack's ever seen, long lost relative time…okay?"

Jack had to admit he was more than a little turned on by his future husband's assertiveness. He was a gorgeous force to be reckoned with, that was for sure. John and Jack made it look like a tearful reunion of long lost brothers and they pulled it off well. After all, they both had experience of being con-men. If they couldn't pull off an Academy award winning performance, there was something very wrong with the Universe. The Sergeant discreetly escorted John to the back of the room and the ceremony resumed, with Ianto making very eloquent apologies for keeping everybody waiting. The Registrar took a moment to remember where he was, then continued, professional demeanour back in place.

"Jack and Ianto have chosen to pledge themselves to each other by committing to a legally binding contract. Their Partnership will enable the love and respect that they have for each other to develop into a deep and lasting relationship. The giving of a band signifies the promise of a love that is everlasting and is a public affirmation that the contract between Jack and Ianto will be honoured." The Registrar asked for the rings. On cue, Owen produced Ianto's and Rhiannon produced Jack's. The registrar handed a card over to Jack and said "Now, Jack, will you place the ring on Ianto's finger and say your vows to him?"

"Ianto," Jack said gently, taking the ring, "I choose you above all others, to share my life. I promise to honour this pledge as long as I live. This ring is a token of my abiding love and a sign of the promise I make to you today." Ianto held his hand out and Jack slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of his left hand. He looked at it for a moment and then smiled, taking his ring for Jack and reciting the same words as he pushed the ring onto Jack's finger and held it there briefly before giving his hand a little squeeze.

"Jack," the registrar said, "would you now like to say your promises to Ianto?" and Jack fumbled his paper from his pocket and looked Ianto in the eye. He unfolded the paper and kept hold of Ianto's hand and read it as clearly as he could, so everyone could hear. He'd modified it somewhat from the words he said to Ianto in private a few days ago, but it wasn't changed too much. They had already run through the private version of their vows together. With the stuff they had wanted to say they knew they'd have to retcon the relatives later if they witnessed them.

"Ianto Jones," Jack said and took heart as Ianto smiled encouragingly. "Body and spirit, heart and mind, I am yours. From this day forward, our two paths become one. I go forward with you, hand in hand, together. For as long as it is within my power to do so, I promise to be the best I can be for you, to do right by you. I'll do my best to shelter you through life's storms. I promise to love and cherish you. I'll do my best to care for you through life's ups and downs. I'll do my best to be your refuge when life gets tough."

Even although he had heard it before Jack saw the emotion in Ianto's eyes. He carried on, knowing which bit he had left in which would probably get to him. Jack launched off into John Donne's poem, written over 500 years ago and still holding true.

"My true-love hath my heart, and I have his,  
By just exchange one for the other given.  
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss.  
There never was a bargain better driven.  
His heart in me keeps me and him in one.  
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides.  
He loves my heart, for once it was his own.  
I cherish his because in me it bides.  
My true love hath my heart and I have his."

Jack smiled and added "If two people could love each other more, show them to me." Jack gazed at Ianto, seeing the smile on his lips, the love in the man's eyes. He had to try not to mangle his husband's beloved language as he said the words that meant the most to him in the whole darned thing. "Yn anad dim, Ianto Jones, rwy'n addo un peth diwethaf. Rwy'n addo byth, erioed i anghofio chi. A bob amser i roi i chi yn gyntaf. Above all, Ianto Jones, I promise one last thing. I promise never, ever to forget you and always to put you first." Jack conceded defeat then as he felt his own eyes get wet. Ianto was smiling broadly and then the Registrar asked him to say his words to Jack. Ianto reached out and took Jack's hands in his then, reassuring and comforting and supporting them both by the gesture.

"Jack, I'm marrying you for Love, with a capital L, and I really, truly, wholeheartedly believe in 'love conquers all'. Everything I am or will become is yours from this day forward, unreservedly. We are each other's now. We are husbands and lovers, maybe even fathers too, someday. We are friends and partners. Even amidst the bitter parts of life we'll look for and discover the better parts of life. We, together, are unshakeable. Rattle us, yes, but break us? Never ! I am reflected in your eyes and given shelter in your heart, as you are in mine. Rwy'n dy garu di, Cariad. For evermore."

He grinned the biggest grin Jack had ever seen then. He would see that grin again, often, Jack knew, now they were married and mated. After that the Registrar turned to them both and said "Every day you live, learn how to receive love with as much understanding as you give it. Find things within yourself, then you can share them with each other. Do not fear this love. Have an open heart and a sincere mind. Be concerned with each other's happiness. Be constant and consistent in your love. From this will come security and strength." _Damn,_ Jack thought, _we're nearly there_.

"We now come to the signing of the schedule," the Registrar said (Jack figured he really had to find out the guy's real name, otherwise he'd end up calling him Reg' which he also figured wouldn't go down well). "This will bind Jack and Ianto Harkness-Jones together in law."

They then had to declare that they knew of no legal reason why they couldn't be civil partners and Jack glared at John, warning him off saying anything crass, then they put their signatures into the book. Mercifully John stayed quiet. He had obviously taken Ianto's warnings to heart and was sitting there quiescent. Tosh and Owen stood forward to write their names as witnesses and then the Registrar presented the happy couple with the certificate to say they were legally partnered. "Now that the ceremony is over and the experience of living day by day as legal partners is about to begin, go and meet it gladly," the Registrar said to them, smiling with sincerity. "Please join with Jack and Ianto as they celebrate their partnership."

Suddenly everybody was clapping and cheering. Jack turned to Ianto and the same thought crossed both their minds. They leaned in and kissed, passionate and unashamed. There were whistles and cheers as they did so. Jack could also have sworn one of the loudest whistlers was Martha. She and Rhiannon seemed to be vying for the title.

Jack missed the Doctor's wistful expression as he stood there applauding them but Martha saw it and smiled a little sadly. She linked an arm through his and his gaze met hers. They shared a moment of understanding and then they were drawn into the circle of friends as everyone moved out of the room so it could be made ready for the reception. Suddenly there was no more time for regret. He was dragged into Jack's arms as the man hugged him tight, thanking him for coming. He then found himself shaking Ianto's hand. Unexpectedly, a fierce charge of…something passed between them, leaving the Doctor's hand tingling and Ianto with an extremely odd look on his face…

"What in the…?" Ianto stared at the Doctor in horror before quietly collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

**love these cliffhangers...  
****I hope I got the Welsh right. If I didn't please tell me…  
****Reviews, as always, are welcome.**


	15. Marry Me a Little pt 4

**Disclaimer: Characters owned by RTD and the BBC. I don't own any of it, except maybe the idea for the story, etc. etc. etc., no infringement of copyright intended, no money being made, etc, etc. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is also purely coincidental. **

**WARNING: Smut on the way…. This is a long one, folks, but I have my reasons. I will come back to the boys eventually, but I have other work that needs my attention. Check my blog to find out what it is. Thank to everyone who has enjoyed reading this. It isn't complete yet, I fear, but for now, I hope it reaches a conclusion. **

**The Oncoming Storm…**

Ianto could hear muffled voices from somewhere. He cracked open one eye and saw only darkness. He heard a subdued hum all around him and couldn't make out anything in the gloom. The voices were getting louder and then a door opened suddenly and he groaned as the light hit his open eye and sent a stab of pain through his skull.

"Ianto!" Jack was there by his side, Owen leaning over to check his pulse, Martha and the Doctor standing back out of the way, trying not to crowd him. It was clear they had been discussing him from the looks they were exchanging. His vision wasn't that screwed.

"How do you feel, boss?" Owen asked, shining his penlight into Ianto's eyes and ignoring his complaint as the light hit his retina.

"What the hell happened?" His voice was terse, demanding answers.

"You fai… you collapsed." Owen said, correcting himself. He knew the boss would not appreciate being told he had fainted.

"Probably the excitement," Martha added reassuringly.

"Actually, it was more than that," the Doctor said softly, looking the Torchwood leader in the eye. Everybody stopped, momentarily floored by the quiet admission. All eyes turned to the man who stood there with a slightly embarrassed look in his dark eyes.

"More? How?" Ianto sat up, ignoring Owen's injunction stay lying down on the bed. He realised that someone had loosened his belt, taken off his cravat and undone the top button of his shirt then covered him with a quilt but it was still a mystery where they had put him. There were no windows in the room and the décor was distinctly odd. It could have been English 18th Century—lots of gilding and scrollwork—bar for the carvings of aliens with tentacles.

"When we shook hands, I felt it." The Doctor was looking down at him with an odd sadness in his eyes.

"What was that exactly?" Ianto demanded. "I saw blue sparks between our hands…felt an energy surge…"

"You felt something? What was it? What did you do to him, Doctor?" Jack was accusatory.

"Nothing, I did nothing at all. I only felt what's already been done, Jack. I'm sorry…" Jack began to panic. What the hell had happened and what did he mean, already done? Why was he sorry?

"Doctor, what is wrong with Ianto? What's happened to him?" Jack grabbed Ianto's hand, worry etched in his face. "Not now, not him. Finally I find something, somebody, worth being with—," words failed him. He looked into his husband's eyes. "I can't lose you, not so soon."

"Jack, you're not going to. That's the point," the doctor said, irritated. "You're not going to lose him any time soon…" Ianto suddenly had a horrible feeling he knew where this was going. Jack looked nonplussed and Owen was simply confused.

"This is about Jack," Ianto suggested. "Isn't it?" The Doctor nodded, a little mournfully.

"I'm sorry, but when Rose did what she did to you, Jack, she infused you with Vortex energy, the energy at the heart of the TARDIS."

"That's your ship, isn't it?" Ianto asked and the Doctor nodded, reaching out a hand to the wall and stroking it, almost reassuringly. Ianto realised he must he inside the TARDIS somewhere. The way the Doctor looked up and around as if he were looking at someone confirmed it.

"Artron energy powers the TARDIS. Jack knows he's immortal because Rose channelled it, sent too much of it through him, left a massive amount of it inside him, infused it into every cell of his body," the doctor explained. "Travelling with me, Jack would have absorbed some of it anyway as background radiation. It's what gives him a connection to the old girl." He patted the wall almost as if he were reassuring someone. "It has no side effects, usually, apart from maybe a boosted immune system but Jack absorbed so much of it that it changed him, made him an impossible thing, a fixed point in time." The Doctor's voice was melancholic, regretful. "That's why he always comes back, why he cannot die forever. Thing is, Jack, you're bleeding some of that energy off. You've got the odd grey hair, but you'll take hundreds, maybe thousands of years to look older by twenty. You can also transfer that energy to other people, though, to anyone near you. You've already brought people back from the dead. You've infused your energy into them, willed them to live, to heal…" His eyes slid to Ianto. "When you…come together with someone…you're doing it then too…"

"You mean…?"

"Sorry, Jack. Truly." The Doctor sighed heavily. "There's nothing I can do to change you and now there's nothing I can do to change Mr Jones…"

Jack looked horrified at the Doctor's words. His immortality had been unique, something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. Living so long and losing everyone he ever loved, he sometimes wondered how he didn't go stark raving mad. He loved because he could, and because it took the edge off the pain for a while, the pain of being alone and lonely, the pain of grief, of loss. He loved people because they were easy to love and he needed them too, needed them to keep him sane. Up until now Jack had never told any of his lovers about his unique ability but Ianto was different. He already knew, he was Torchwood, and had accepted Jack from the beginning for himself, immortality included.

"Am I immortal too, then?" Ianto asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he couldn't not find out either. Jack shrugged and looked at the Doctor for confirmation.

"You'll live a long time. Who knows, maybe as long as you two are together. I'm not actually sure. It's the Artron energy, you see. It isn't predictable in what it'll do. Different people react in different ways. Jack is transferring it every time you two are… well, intimate. Every time you kiss, every time you shag like rabbits…What?" He looked at their shocked expressions. "Well, you do. Jack is one big Artron battery now, able to recharge people. Artron energy is what allows Time Lords to regenerate when they die, it's the heart of the TARDIS, in the circuitry and the machinery. A human shouldn't be able to channel as much as Rose did, but she did it anyway. Jack is not entirely human, he's 51st century, and there are other things in there that make him more resilient anyway." The Doctor chuckled, his mercurial mood altering swiftly, his expressive voice revealing his enthusiasm. "You humans, you're brilliant. You adapt and change, you evolve, you just get stronger. You're inventive, brave," he shrugged, scratching the back of his head, "not to mention being downright idiotic sometimes." He said it with a grin to take the sting out of the words and sat down on the end of the bed, fixing Jack with an amused stare.

"So, are you saying that Jack has given me some of this energy every time he…and I…every time we…?"

"Jesus," Owen couldn't believe it. "Sexually transmitted immortality? You have got to be kidding me." He looked at the two of them for a moment, and then shook his head in disbelief. "Only you, Jack, only you…"

Everyone left Jack and Ianto alone for a while after that little reveal. It was decided they needed some space and if they couldn't get that in the TARDIS, they wouldn't get it anywhere. TARDIS had space and to spare. Jack certainly needed to be alone but Ianto wouldn't leave him. The man was deeply disturbed at what he had inadvertently done. The concept that he might never die was a little hard for Ianto to cope with, but he couldn't, in all conscience, blame Jack. It wasn't his fault, even if it was his actions. The man hadn't known that would happen. In a way it was entirely typical. Jack wasn't your think-things-through kind of guy. He never knew what would happen and he didn't think twice about a situation. It was at once one of his greatest strengths and one of his biggest weaknesses.

They were in need of one of those conversations and now didn't seem the time, but Ianto tried anyway.

"Stop beating yourself up, Jack."

"But it's my fault…"

"You didn't know it would happen. You didn't intend for it to happen, did you?"

"NO! Of course not, but… I'm not sorry, Ianto, and that is so selfish of me. Of course I wanted this. To have you with me, forever?" He looked bleak. "Do you have any concept of what it is like, leaving my lovers behind because I can't tell them what I am? Or worse, turning up at their funerals still looking like I'm not much older than 35?" Up until now, Jack had never stayed with any of his lovers long enough to have to tell them. He stared into the distance. "I couldn't tell them. Eventually the resentment would set in, and I never wanted to see that in someone I loved. You have no idea how lonely it is. How much I really want to give it up and lie down and die…I want to live a mortal life, Ianto. I wanted to grow old and die with you, not have you live forever with me!" His voice was anguished. "I just don't understand how this could happen now. I've had other lovers. How come it didn't happen to them? Why you?"

"You told me once that Estelle was the one who lived longest. She was killed. You don't know how long she might have lived, and after all, her medical records prove it, she was fit and healthy for someone of her age, very active too. You must have done that for her, Jack, even though you didn't stay with her. But you loved her, didn't you, even though you left her? You thought you were doing the right thing there. Can you truly say you loved the others as much?"

"I don't know. I thought I did, but Estelle, and you, you're both the closest I've ever come to anyone… I always regretted leaving her, I wish I could have stayed…"

"Times were different then, you did what you had to do and you tried to make sure she was alright, after…" Ianto smiled at Jack's troubled expression. "I read the file, your file. Suzie detailed the outcome with the so-called fairies. It can't have been easy for you."

"I loved her, Ianto, I really did. Estelle was a sweet, kind person and we fell hopelessly in love." Jack's sigh was dragged up from his boots. "I guess we each needed what the other gave at the time. I needed normality, domesticity, space to breath before I went nuts. She needed a knight in shining armour, someone to support her and make her believe in herself. I'm glad I managed to do that for her."

"You did, she was an independent lady who lived a good life because of you. Don't think I don't know that you made sure she was secure. Even if you did pretend you were your own grandson, you made sure she had no money worries, that she was safe. I may think that you underestimated her in not telling her about your immortality but you made that decision based on your knowledge at the time. That's all we ever do. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, as they say."

"Yeah, but _they_ are never around when the decisions are made, are they?" Jack said gently.

"Not usually, no." Ianto agreed.

"But I couldn't protect her in the end…."

"Because she didn't want that protection. She was independent, Jack. She was her own woman and there was nothing you could have done to change that about her. You have to accept that she was going to be that, especially as you chose not to stay with her."

"I'll still have her death on my conscience. Estelle died because I didn't make her believe how dangerous those things were."

"Jack, this isn't the time for this. You're immortal so you've had more time than the rest of us put together to make mistakes, very human mistakes, mistakes you will keep on making, however hard you try, because you're not perfect. No matter how long you live, you'll never be that. Try to learn from life. That's all you can do, so stop it with the regrets and the recriminations."

"I've not exactly given you the best day of your life, have I? First John and now this?" Jack huddled into himself, arms hugging round his body, anguish in his eyes.

"Bollocks, Jack. Do not do this, not today," Ianto said gently. He allowed a hand to sooth his lover's back, stroking soft circles across the broad shoulders. "This is our day, our partnership, our wedding… now you won't ever have to lose me. Shouldn't that be a cause for celebration?" Ianto swallowed the implications of what had happened. He would try dealing with it later. He still loved the man and this was their wedding day. He had wanted it to be perfect and now he wasn't sure if it was still salvageable. Jack looked stricken.

"Am I interrupting?" Jack groaned and buried his head in his hands as Ianto turned to see John swaggering into the room. He stopped and looked at them both, then smiled. "He's doing what he's good at, I see," John observed, gently.

"Oh, like you'd know?" Jack snapped, jerking his head up and glaring at the intruder.

"Jack, stop it." John was unrepentant. "I heard about the immortality gaff. If I know you, you're now self-flagellating—get your minds out of the gutter, both of you, I don't mean it like that—because you think you screwed up." John turned to Ianto and shook his head in exasperation. "Does this a lot, you'll find that out soon enough." He turned back to Jack and grinned. "Jackie-boy, you need to learn that you can't keep doing this. The world turns as it will. Shit happens. The Goddess flings you a curve ball. Catch it, throw it back and move on." John squeezed his shoulder. "Remember our survival training? Well, it has been longer for you I guess, the old memory might not be what it was?"

"Cheeky bastard! I'm immortal, not over the hill!" John skipped out of the way of Jack's swipe and shrugged, chuckling.

"I'll refresh your memory then. You make the best of it, you use what you have to hand. Banish negative thoughts, they'll kill you faster than anything. If you lose hope, you lose the fight. Play the game, Jack, like you always do. You and Ianto are made for each other, so stop bemoaning the truth and think! Most people would kill for what you have now." John was entirely serious as he looked them up and down, a smirk on his sensuous lips. "Remember your responsibilities, Jack. That's all I ask. You've got him for life now, not just for Christmas. You need to think about what is important and thank your lucky stars you're not going to lose him just yet. Ianto, you'll have to learn that this bastard can be a gloomy son-of-a-narg when he wants to be, so you'll have to kick him out of it."

"Like you'd know me inside out?" Jack retorted.

"I do, of course I do, we didn't spend five years in a time loop without me learning something about you and believe me, you don't seem to have changed much where some things are concerned."

"Five years? Time loop?" Ianto looked at John uncertainly. Was the man joking?

"Yup. Five years. He made a great wife, though, you'll not regret getting married."

"It was only two years and I was not the wife!" Jack snapped.

"You were too."

"Was not, you were the wife…"

"I was not. You did the cooking and the cleaning."

"Because you were too fucking lazy…"

"Because I was doing the rest of the work…"

"Gentlemen! Time and place," Ianto reminded them, firmly. Jack settled into a sullen sulk and John just grinned. "Please, John, thank you for your…insights, but we ought to get back on track. Jack, we can talk this through later…"

"Yeah, we'll have plenty of time…"

"Stop it, Jack, stop beating yourself up and that's now an order!" Ianto finally asserted his authority and called a halt.

"Ooo, forceful," John was openly admiring. "I envy you, Jackie-boy, he can dominate me any time…" Ianto rolled his eyes at that and didn't dignify it with a response. "Jack," John fixed his former lover with a stare and for once his eyes were entirely serious. "Jack, stop this. You and me, we had our moments, yeah?" Jack regarded him intently.

"Yeah," he replied. "You're right, we did. A few…"

"One thing I learned about you back then, you're not a quitter and you're not stupid. But you do lie to yourself sometimes. And you make the worst sushi…" he flashed a grin. Jack choked a laugh, but it was a laugh never-the-less. "There, that's more like it, this is your wedding day. Seriously, _cohana'a litsche,_ take your opportunities. _The on-coming storm may take tomorrow away._" John leaned in and captured Jack's lips in a kiss, but it was gentle, loving. "For old times' sake, eh?" He stood up and trotted to the door. "I'll see you guys later, I'm losing good drinking time here." Jack laughed again and waved him away.

"You're going to tell me what all that was about, I suppose?" Ianto said staring after the rogue Time Agent.

Jack smiled. "Just John being John."

"That much I gathered, what was with the foreign language?"

"His own. _Cohana'a litsche_, it means the same as _cariad_, I guess. A little more than beloved, maybe. Literally_, heart stealer_. He called me that all the time when we were together, his joke because his name is Hart." Jack sighed and smiled, shakily, but he was slowly coming out of the angst-ridden funk he had been thrown into.

"What was with the on-coming storm thing?"

"Oh that, it's a line from a poem, some guy from the agency penned it," Jack said and recited the words as if he hadn't heard them last over 130 years before.

"_Regret not what you do this day, _

_The on-coming storm may take tomorrow away, _

_Then there will remain no more time for regret, _

_So lay your demons, make your peace, and pay all your debts."_

He finished with a small smile. "It was very popular in wartime," he explained. "When you had no clue if people would be alive by tomorrow, you tried not to say things you wouldn't be able to apologise for later."

"In other words, remember what is important, eh?" Ianto smiled. "Well, like it or not, Jack, we are now married, you and me, both of us, yeah?" Ianto flashed his ring. "That's what is important. We're more than the sum of our parts, cariad. We will get through this. I am not letting go of you now. So come on, take me back to the celebrations. We're missing the best bit."

As they came back in, they were met with a dozen UNIT men in dress uniform forming an arch of swords into the room. The place erupted in applause, everyone clapping and whistling as they walked down the line, a photographer snapping away as they did so. When they emerged, a scattering of confetti showering down over them, it was to see Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart standing with his wife not far away, a large grin on his face. He and Jack embraced as old friends and comrades and Jack dragged Ianto forward to introduce him.

"Oh, I know all about young Mr Jones." The Brigadier was smiling. "It's an honour to meet you, sir." He extended a hand and shook Ianto's warmly. "A survivor of Canary Wharf, Leader of Torchwood Three and now you've bagged Harkness. I'm not sure if you're lucky or if fate has it in for you, young man." Ianto laughed and Jack had the good grace to look a little embarrassed.

Everyone patted Ianto on the back as he walked beside Jack to the high table. Rhiannon and Johnny and the kids followed, plus Owen and Tosh, Gwen and Rhys. They ate without really remembering what it was, although it was delicious and Tosh kept a menu for the scrap book she was making for them so they would remember later. Owen's speech was suitably earthy but quite restrained (for him) and Johnny replied for Rhiannon because she hated doing public speaking, which, as Johnny pointed out, was a lie because she wasn't afraid to give him her opinion in public. Very soon they were stepping outside again so the room could be cleared and the disco set up.

Ianto watched John and Jack talking quietly as they stood outside in the gathering darkness. Everyone had gathered around the tall patio heaters that had been set up on the terrace outside the room. Knots of people were conversing, the kids were playing and a few of the catering staff were moving between them, balancing drinks trays. Ianto snagged a glass of champagne and stood a little way off, trying to hear what the two men were saying.

"You picked a good one there." John's words were unexpected.

"I know. He's a pain the arse sometimes, but in a good way."

"You'd know all about that…"

"Fuck off, John…" the retort lacked any real heat.

"Look, Jack, you really should stop it with the guilt tripping. After you found Grey, you were never the same. You were a kid when it happened, you should never have had the responsibility…"

"There was no one else and I failed him."

"I looked in on him a little while ago, you know. He asked for you…"

Ianto watched Jack stiffen. "How was he?"

"Okay, kind of. He wanted you to know, if I ever saw you again, that he doesn't blame you…" Jack sighed.

"That's bollocks and you know it. Stop lying to me. I know you're trying to make me feel better, but…"

"Jack, I'm not lying, not about this. Grey really is okay. The treatment was working. He said he didn't mean those things he said to you, he was out of his head. He wanted me to tell you that he doesn't blame you."

"Wonderfully convenient change of heart."

"Jack, one day, I swear you'll realise I'm not lying. You can see him for yourself, you can learn the truth from him."

"And how could I? Don't you think if I could have gotten off this mudball before now, I would? My vortex manipulator is fried and the doctor won't repair it."

"You could ask him to take you?"

"Why should he?"

"What are friends for?"

"It's too late." Jack said gently. "I don't want to see Grey again. It would be too painful for us both."

Ianto remained frozen to the spot. This was new… Who the hell was Grey? He was shocked by Jack's comments. _Don't you think, if I could have gotten off this mudball before now, I would? _Was that what he really felt? Would he still go, given chance? What if this doctor would take him? Would he, Ianto, be left alone? Yet again, in the space of a half hour, his infant marriage was being threatened. Ianto quietly despaired. If this was what living with Jack was going to be like, he wondered if he had made an almighty mistake. He turned too fast, too eager to leave the scene and a chair clattered to the floor as he bumped into it, making everyone turn. Jack realised how close Ianto must have been to them and swore as he watched his husband leaving. He ran everything he had just said back through his mind. What had Ianto heard? Abandoning John, Jack followed Ianto at a run.

This was too much, his tired mind complained. He stood outside in the shadows of the gatehouse, willing his emotions to calm down. He was on a roller coaster and he couldn't get off. He was so sick of having to talk Jack down or placate his lunatic ex-lovers and talk to his eccentric friends as well as try to cope with his new found eternity and now all Jack wanted to do was leave the planet? Well, fuck him… he slid down the wall, too tired to even grieve.

"Ianto?" Jacks voice was quiet, small.

"Fuck off." He said softly. The order lacked bite but the sentiment was there.

"Ianto, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

"But…"

"Just stop, Jack. This was a mistake."

"Don't say that."

"Jack…" Ianto did not know what else to say.

"Ianto…"

"Sorry, Jack. I can't deal with any more."

"Ianto, let's get out of here. We can talk. We—,"

"No! If we talk any more, my head will explode. It's past time for that. Fucking hell, I'm immortal…well nigh, anyway. Give me a decade or so, then we'll talk."

Jack looked down at Ianto where he had slid to sit on the stone step. "I really am sorry about this, this is not the day I wanted to give you. I should have known…" Jack sank down to sit beside him.

"Jack, this is Torchwood, remember? If today had gone off without a hitch, I would have been worried." Jack barked a laugh, then choked, burying his head in his arms and giving in to the grief. A hand eventually settled on his shoulders, warm and comforting.

"Who is Grey?"

"My younger brother," Jack admitted. "When we were kids, the planet we lived on was attacked. Our colony was destroyed, my father killed. We'd been out with dad for the day when they came. He was hit when the fighters flew over, he told me to get Grey home and shoved me away, so we left him behind. They came again, and I lost hold of Grey's hand and they…they took him. I never saw him again. Mum was distraught, blamed me, hardly spoke to me again. As soon as I could, I signed for the Time Agency. They eventually found Grey but he had been brainwashed, turned into a killing machine. The Agency had good medical care and techniques; I had no choice but to trust that they could do something. He nearly killed me, blamed me for running away and leaving him. Oh, it was the line he had been fed by our attackers, his conditioning, but it hurt me, none-the-less. I just had to hope… Now John tells me Grey wants to see me…"

"Maybe he does, maybe the treatment worked." Jack sighed and slumped.

"Maybe, but I don't trust John. Never did. That five years thing was only two but he never realized it. He was very disturbed by the experience; the Agency had to treat him as a psyche case too, after we got out. He went independent not long after being discharged. I don't know what to believe any more."

"In us, that would be a good start. I would also like for you to trust me more…"

"I do trust you, with my heart and my sanity, both of which I have to say are worth more to me than my life at the moment." Their eyes met. Ianto saw a world of hurt within Jack's. Jack saw how tired Ianto looked. "Just so you know, when I first arrived here, after my VM burned out, all I wanted was to get off this mudball and get home. But its not the same now. It ceased being a mudball when I started to realize that my home is here. This is _my_ mudball..."

"I'm sorry," they both said simultaneously, and wrapped their arms round each other, seeking to hold each other as close as possible.

"We'll get through this," Jack promised, holding on. "As you said, more than the sum?"

"Yeah, more than the sum," Ianto agreed. They sat back and breathed the clear cold air for a moment. "I'm knackered," Ianto stated quietly.

"Not far behind you," Jack agreed. "We'd best cut this short? I have no idea how long I can keep going."

"Neither have I. Come on." Ianto stood and offered a hand to Jack who allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we can leave." He yawned and grabbed his husband for another hug. They kissed, gently.

"Are we okay, Ianto?" Jack asked, uncertainly, and received a nod of reassurance.

"Yes, Jack, I guess we are okay. At least, as okay as we'll ever get, I suspect."

Jack and Ianto went back inside to the sound of Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade. Jack grinned and grabbed his husband for the first dance, blessing Tosh's choice of music. Memories of a blond girl in his arms and the search lights over London, barrage balloons and a rather cute RAF officer came to mind, and were banished by the sight and smell and feel of the man who leaned against him, swaying in the lights from the dance floor. This was real, the rest was just history, and Jack did what he did best, he lived for the moment, all thoughts of the future gone, the only real thing the living breathing vitally alive human being in his arms.

Much later, Jack was talking to a small knot of Ianto's relatives, Ianto having closeted himself with the Brigadier, when he spotted Martha coming back in holding hands with Tom Milligan. Jack grinned and looked about for Ianto, but there was no sign of him. Martha was making a bee-line for him, a rather satisfied smile on her face.

"If you're looking for Ianto, he asked me to tell you to meet him in the car park?" she smirked.

"The car park?"

Martha nodded and wandered off to go talk to Gwen and Jack slipped outside, walking beneath the large gatehouse and into the car park outside. Sure enough, Martha had been right, Ianto was lying across the bonnet of the big Bentley Jack had arrived in, seemingly staring at the sky. God, he looked gorgeous…and available. For a moment Jack marvelled that Ianto was also now virtually immortal and would be for as long as they stayed together; someone who would be there to love him eternally. Jack tried to walk softly but the damn car park was gravelled, but even if he heard Ianto didn't look up. Jack leaned in to breath softly in his ear and he purred.

"Stars are out tonight." He murmured, focusing on Jack who pressed a soft kiss to his lips and smiled. "Isn't it a bit chilly out here for this kind of thing?" For answer he held up the keys and dangled them in front of Jack's eyes.

"Apparently, special people get to borrow the roller."

"And are we? Special, I mean?"

"Jack, how much more special could we get?"

Jack smiled and ran a hand down Ianto's ribs to his groin, touching him through the fabric. He was already hard. Jack leaned in for another kiss, this one slightly more passionate and Ianto opened his mouth to it, hand snaking round Jack's neck and pulling him in. He groaned into it and Jack melted, a jolt of desire pounding through his body straight to his groin. Jack moaned into Ianto's mouth and pressed closer, hoping to hell none of the Briavels' residents were passing at this hour. What the hell…

The car was wonderful. Jack had driven one before (many years ago) which was partly why Ianto let him drive, although he made Jack promise to let him drive back. He knew Jack was as much of a petrol head as Owen anyway so it was a double treat for him. They drove out of the village and along the dark lanes, enjoying being alone. The party would still be in full swing when they got back, Jack wasn't intending to be out for hours, just long enough to enjoy the car and his husband. They drove for ten minutes along the country roads, the car's warm interior smelling intoxicatingly of leather and polish. "They don't make 'em like this anymore, Ianto," Jack said appreciatively "which is a shame really." Ianto was dozing, eyes closed. Jack drove along a way he knew, heading for a lane that he was somewhat embarrassed to admit that he was quite familiar with. He didn't mention to Ianto how he knew it. It was a long time a go and in another life as far as Jack was concerned. He parked the car and turned to Ianto, laying a gentle hand to wake him, watching as he opened gorgeously drowsy eyes and smiled.

"Where are we?"

"Lover's Lane." Jack said with a grin. He smiled and shook his head slightly.

"Somewhere we shouldn't be disturbed, at least for a few minutes. This lane leads to an abandoned house, been in ruins for thirty odd years. Nobody comes here." Jack got out and stretched, opened the rear door and held it while Ianto got in. "If you're too tired, Carwr…"

"Nonsense, and miss this?" Ianto brightened as soon as he took a few deep breaths of cold valley air. "I just found out I'm going to live forever," he declared, then he got in the back and settled into the upholstery. "Last time I sat here I was single…" he grinned at Jack, showing white teeth in the darkness.

"Why, Mr Harkness-Jones, I declare your smile can rival mine when you want it to." Jack sat down and pulled the door shut, locking them both in, just in case. Then he leaned in to claim a deep kiss.

"I have to say…" Jack murmured into his ear "…you looked very sexy draped over the bonnet back there."

"Thank you…you just look sexy, no matter what." Jack knelt and unfastened Ianto's trousers, peeling back the fabric and unzipping him. He moaned softly as Jack slipped his hand inside and began to massage his length, looking down at Jack as he sat there, leaning back against the leather, his face a picture.

"I'm gonna have you, then you can have me…no need to take our gear off, no need to look dishevelled and no need to get cold." The heater in the car wasn't bad but Jack was aware the warmth wouldn't last long. He unbuttoned Ianto's boxers and eased him out of the fabric. His eyes were lustful and wanting and so, so loving. Jack swept his tongue out and lapped the soft skin on the head of his cock, heard his in-drawn breath and smiled as he took the head into his mouth. He sucked, his hand working Ianto's balls through the fabric. Jack let him slide almost completely in, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked hard. He was making the most wonderful sounds, huskily muttering welsh as Jack lavished attention on him, including a liberal smattering of 'cariad' and 'gwr'. His hips began to move, lifting up to meet Jack's mouth. Jack let him fuck his mouth for a while, hands roaming under Ianto's shirt, sliding along his smooth back. Ianto grunted, hands fisting in Jack's hair. Jack swallowed him whole, sucked even harder and then he was spurting into Jack's mouth, all control lost. His husband swallowed it all, an appreciative look on his face.

Once he was done Jack leaned in to claim his mouth again, letting him taste himself, then Jack tidied him up and tucked his shirt back in, then changed places. Ianto had Jack lie along the seat and knelt beside him, his mouth taking its turn to do amazing things to Jack's body. The Captain's clothes were easier to undo than Ianto's and he made the most of it. Jack arched into Ianto's touch and felt his new husband's hands holding him down. Ooo, that was always a turn on. Ianto made short work of Jack, his tongue swirling and his fingers teasing and massaging Jack's balls, he simply couldn't hold out. Sex in the back of a car had always turned the Captain on and now he was engaged in doing it with his husband, it was a double turn-on. He came hard, exploding into Ianto's mouth and down his throat and the man drank it down like it was the best thing on earth, like it was ambrosia. Jack watched through heavy lidded eyes as Ianto licked his lips_. Oh, so sexy, Ianto,_ Jack thought, lying there in post-coital bliss, his thoughts a haze. He was spaced out and lay there quietly for a while trying to recover. Ianto kissed him, letting Jack take his turn to taste himself on his tongue.

They drove back in companionable silence, Jack letting Ianto him drive a ways but he was happy to give it up again, it was one of the reasons he'd 'borrowed' the vehicle in the first place, to let Jack drive it. _I love this man_, Jack thought, overwhelmed with the implications of his immortality again. Ianto was always thinking of others. It was about time someone thought about him. _Well, my turn to think of him for once_, Jack thought silently. They arrived back and rejoined the Party with a few jokes as to where they'd been but it was inevitable and although Ianto blushed a little he was too happy to care. Jack pulled him in for another dance and they enjoyed the rest of the evening without a care. Hells bells, the world could have ended right then but they would have been happy.

"So, that bullet wouldn't have killed me then?" Ianto was firing questions at the doctor over a couple of cold beers and the remains of his buffet supper. It was very late. Jack was dancing somewhere, with Gwen or Martha or Tosh or maybe even Owen, Ianto wasn't sure. He had questions and he wanted them answered.

"Don't push your luck, Mr Jones." The doctor was looking at him intently. "You probably wouldn't have died, but you didn't bounce back from it immediately, like Jack has a tendency to do, did you? Besides, as I understand it, you and Jack hadn't been—how shall we say? Intimate?—you hadn't been intimate for long then, had you? "

"No, we hadn't and it took me a few weeks to recover, yes."

"You've not had the same intense blast of Artron energy through you like the one Rose hit Jack with. Healing will not be significantly altered for you, even if you find you can return from the dead. I really wouldn't push my luck if I were you. We none of us know exactly what might happen. Unmolested, uninjured and disease free, you'll probably live as long as he will. As long as you both continue to… you know… co-habit? Jack has to be able to transmit the energy somehow."

"So if we parted…"

"The effects wouldn't just disappear," the Doctor explained, "although they would eventually fade. Jack will need to bleed off his energy into you on a regular basis."

"Oh, I guess I'll manage that, Doctor." Jack slid onto a chair next to Ianto and sighed.

"How's John?" Ianto ventured to ask, neatly deflecting the topic.

"Dancing with Owen…" Ianto had to stop and consider that pairing for a moment.

"And how are you?" Ianto asked Jack.

"I'm good." The reply was soft, reassuring. Ianto reached out and took his hand. They sat together like that for a while and eventually realised the Doctor had gone off and was dancing with Martha. Lost in each other's company, they were oblivious to anything going on around them. More than the sum of their parts? Jack smiled. They would deal with this, one way or the other. Not like it could be altered now anyway.

"Come on, you two." The doctor was grinning, heaving them to their feet and guiding them outside to where the blue box sat patiently.

"Where we going?" Ianto asked , shivering in the autumn cold.

"Anywhere you want to. Your bags are already on board. I'm taking you on an all-expenses paid honeymoon. You'll be back before you know it. So come on, where do you want to visit? The High Temple of the eternal flame of Shivanka on Kiriktua VI? A burning desire to visit Pompeii, maybe? 17th Century Japan? Outer Mongolia? London, 1964, Carnaby Street, the Beatles? You name it, I'll get you there."

"Rhrysiah Seven," Jack said firmly, "The honeymoon suite."

"Rhrysiah Seven? Isn't that a bit over-priced?" He watched Jack's expression, then grinned. "Okay, Rhysiah Seven it is then." He began to flick switches and pull levers.

"Hang on, we didn't say goodbye…"

"You'll be back soon…"

"Heard that one before."

**Is this finished? I think not, but I might not be posting for a while. If you want to catch up with my other fiction, visit my profile and find the link to my blog. Thank you. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.**


	16. Back to Work

**Disclaimer: Characters owned by RTD and the BBC. I don't own any of it, except maybe the idea for the story, etc. etc. etc., no infringement of copyright intended, no money being made, etc, etc. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is also purely coincidental. **

_**This is by way of a short tie-up to end this story…**_

**Back to work…**

Captain Jack Harkness-Jones took the stairs down into the hub two at a time. He was late and he knew it, although he had a good reason. Shit shoveling, again. The rest of the team had returned hours ago, and as always he had been landed with the messy job of getting rid of the bodies. He grimaced as he hit bottom; he was always shit shoveling, clearing everyone else's mess up after them, making sure they got everywhere on time and, oh yes, making the coffee. At least he was complemented for his coffee making skills. _It's my own fault,_ he thought. _I don't trust others to do a good enough job_. Swinging round towards his workstation, its computer humming in readiness, he noticed that the others were nowhere to be seen. He cast his eyes up to the office above to see if the boss had noticed but there was no movement. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he had quit for the day…

"Jack? Where's my coffee?"

Damn, Jack swore beneath his breath. Did that guy miss anything?

"Coming, sir," he called, hurrying towards the small kitchen area. Precisely five minutes later he knocked on the door and went in, seeing the boss behind his desk, immaculate in suit and tie, scanning some paper work. The man popped the button on the stopwatch he held in one hand, glanced briefly at it and said with a grin "Five minutes, Jack. You're definitely getting faster…" and watched appreciatively as Jack walked round to stand beside him, same place as always, and set the coffee mug down on the desk next to him, same place as always, and said "Will there be anything else, sir?"

"Of course there will." Ianto Harkness-Jones stood and wrapped an arm around his husband's waist. Jack grinned and leaned into the caress as Ianto's lips pressed against his. "The rest of the team is out on a job," Ianto explained. "I…waited for you to come back. I thought we might… you know, make use of our time together?" Ianto traced a finger along Jack's jawline, coming to rest on his lips.

"I see. You were co-ordinating the operation from the Hub, eh?" Jack's eyebrow rose suggestively.

"It's a routine pick up," Ianto murmured. "Some kid trying to sell a Dogon eye in Barry. What can go wrong?"

"This is Torchwood, remember?" Jack reminded gently.

"Yes, you're right, it is." Ianto sighed and pulled back. "I guess… we'd better get after them then?"

"Whatever you say, boss."

"Race you to the car?" For a moment, they stared into the other's eyes. Then Ianto was off, sprinting for the stairs.

"Hey!" Jack dashed out of the office on his heels, vaulted the walkway railing and landed yards ahead on the floor of the Hub, picking himself up and running for the door. Ianto caught up, shouldering him aside. Laughing, Jack barreled past him and reached the new SUV seconds before him. They stopped, backs against the car, chests heaving, laughing.

_"Jack? We need some help here. Where are you?"_ Tosh's voice came across the comms and Ianto took a deep breath and tapped the device in his ear.

"Ianto here, Tosh. Jack's with me. What can we do for you?"

_"Oh… well, we have a small problem…"_

"Only a small one?" Ianto quipped.

_"It's the eye..."_

"What about it?"

_"It...got swallowed. By a Hoix... in a cafe... It's a long story..."_ Tosh sounded exasperated.

"I assume you're following the perpetrator?" Jack asked.

_"Owen and Gwen are. I'm in the car, I'm following the signal from the eye..."_

"Patch the readings through to my PDA," Ianto ordered. "We'll be with you in ten." He tossed the car keys to Jack.

"You're letting me drive?" Jack's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"That's what you do, isn't it?" Ianto said, wrenching open the passenger door and diving inside. "You get us everywhere on time…"

"I try my best!" Jack slid behind the wheel and shoved the key in the ignition. The car roared into life and Jack put his foot down.

"And you look good in a suit!" Ianto commented.

"Careful, sir, that's harassment!" he yelled over the engine noise. He was back at work, behind the wheel of a new SUV, his husband… correction, his _immortal _husband beside him, once more racing to the rescue. Boy, but it was good to be back!

_**I think this is it for the boys on this story. I have other ones to write, existing ones to update and my new books to work on. Follow the link on my profile page to my blog to catch up with my published novels. Thanks for reading and reviewing. **_


End file.
